A Restroom! A Restroom! My Kingdom for a Restroom!

One thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is the diminishing control of my bladder and sphincter muscle. I often find myself in need of getting to a bathroom before I have an unfortunate accident. And there have been a some embarrassing moments when I didn't make it! A couple of these have occurred when I was on a city transit bus. The other thing I've noticed is the diminishing availability of public restrooms anywhere in the city. So many businesses have signs announcing that they have no restrooms available for the public. I remember, for example, that there used to be a public restroom on the skyway level of the IDS Tower. But those days are long gone. About the only places that still have public facilities downtown are the Target store on 9th and Nicollet and the central library. And even these are often already being used when you need them the most. I fondly remember the days when you could use the restroom at many restaurants, businesses, and gas stations without having to be a patron. But those days are pretty much gone by the wayside.

Since this lack of restrooms has become a serious issue for me, I often wonder how many other seniors also experience this problem. I know that this is especially true for the increasing homeless population of the inner city. While walking downtown, for example, I'm often assaulted by the strong smell of urine on city streets, at light rail stations, and bus shelters.

Recently, while browsing in the public library, I even came across a book that deals with this dilemma which is not only an increasing problem in the U.S. but worldwide. Authored by Lezlie Lowe, it is entitled NO PLACE TO GO or How Public Toilets Fail Our Private Needs. "From pay potties to deserted alleyways, and in cities from San Francisco to Toronto, No Place to Go talks about where we go in public. It is a marriage of urbanism, social narrative, and pop culture that shows the ways -- momentous and mockable -- public bathrooms just don't work. Like, for the homeless who, faced with no place to go, sometimes must literally take to the streets. For people with invisible disabilities, such as Crohn's disease, who stay home rather than risk soiling themselves in public....Peel back the layers on public bathrooms and it's clear many more people want for good access than have it. Public bathroom access is about cities, society, design, movement, and equity."

I would only add that public restrooms not only don't work, but that they're not available in the first place! Recently, I saw a Japanese film about a man whose job it was to clean public toilets in Tokyo. What struck me most about this movie, apart from the dedication of the man to his work, was how immaculately clean the facilities turned out to be. They were like palaces to cleanliness! Not only that, but they were also free. I know that many cities have pay toilets. I remember using some of these while I was living in Germany.

I realize that this issue of the availability of public restrooms in our cities may seem superfluous, even trivial, but I can assure you that it will become even more serious if nothing is done to alleviate the situation, especially given the fact that none of us are getting any younger.