Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Can LA Answer Nature's Call? Metro Tests Out Public Bathrooms
A six-month pilot trial program is placing Throne restrooms at four Metro stations.
(
Courtesy of Throne
)
Is nature calling and the only solution is sneaking into a coffee shop bathroom, trekking to a stinky porta-potty or squatting behind a tree? A new city pilot program is trying to fix that.
Through a partnership between LA Metro and public bathroom start-up Throne, a pilot program has launched self-contained bathrooms at three Metro stations for a six-month period to find solutions to L.A.'s public restroom shortage.
In addition to Thrones at Westlake/MacArthur Park on the B/D Lines, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks on the A/C Lines and Norwalk on the C Line, there will be one exclusively for metro operators at the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station.
“We hope that we can make people's lives easier by taking the stress out of finding a bathroom when it's needed most,” said Throne cofounder Jessica Heinzelman.
Support for LAist comes from
The self-contained bathrooms can be set up in a matter of hours, cutting out the installation costs of building bathrooms and connecting them to sewage, water and power systems.
How to use them
Users send a text, scan a QR code or check-in via an app. Instructions are available on the app, outside stalls and inside stalls in English and Spanish.
According to LA Metro, 92% of its ridership has phones, but TAP cards would be another option for accessing the bathrooms should the project roll out after six months.
But giving the program a trial run without including phoneless users might harbor some problems of its own. Shayna Englin, director of Digital Divide LA, said she worries the program won’t easily serve those who need public bathrooms the most.
“If you think about the population of people who really need access to public toilet facilities and the overlap of the people who are disconnected, [there’s] significant overlap,” Englin said.
Support for LAist comes from
Englin said government programs to help low-to-no income individuals get phones tend to be “wildly” inaccessible as they depend on online systems to apply in the first place.
In the meantime, Heinzelman said Metro officials will be on site to help.
“People are opening it for their friend or for somebody walking by,” Heinzelman said. “And then Metro ambassadors are also kind of on site and available to help people get in if they need to.”
Lack of access
Efforts to update the city’s public bathroom availability follows reports that L.A. only has 14 permanent bathroom stalls.
Improving public infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Olympics isn’t lost on city leaders, either. Studies have shown that access to public bathrooms can reduce public defecation and disease outbreaks.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist