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But just how usable are they? I know I've been in some that made me feel the need to shower as soon as I got home. In fact I shudder just thinking about some of them. There are the underground toilets that I feel like I need a body guard with me and the supposedly self-cleaning Exeloo's that have sprung up everywhere, complete with mud and water covering the floors and piped elevator music. Not a pleasant experience.
Anyway, I felt I would be horribly remiss if I did not post it here. :-) You can read the original article here: http://www.theage.com.au/national/tinkle-town-20100313-q582.html I've cut it back for the purposes of this blog and just included the best and the worst toilet ratings.
Tinkle town
PETER MUNRO, JOHANNA WALDON, JOHN BAILEY AND SUSANNAH MCGREGOR
March 14, 2010
We've all been out on the town and needed to find a toilet, quickly. Trouble is, some public facilities are a more attractive place to spend a penny than others. To help you navigate your way around the city's cisterns, Peter Munro, Johanna Waldon, John Bailey and Susannah McGregor offer a critical guide:
Flinders Street Station
Male
Open: 24 hours
Access: Male, female, disabled, baby change
Score: 2/10
Cleanliness 1/5; Toilet paper 0/1; Ambience 0/1; Soap/paper towels/hand dryer 0/1; Safety 0/1; Accessibility 1/1
Summary: This isn't one of those "Worst Toilet in Scotland" numbers unforgettably memorialised in Trainspotting, but it's definitely For Emergencies Only. It shouldn't be hard to see why the facilities at Melbourne's busiest transport hub will probably never be oases of sparkling white porcelain and liveried hand-towel attendants, but remember to put yourself on amber alert when making your way into a cubicle here. Some of the locks don't work or, more mysteriously, are painted over, and the wash-basins could do with some maintenance. At least there are nearby alternatives that won't require a tram ride to reach.
- John Bailey
Ground floor, Southern Cross Station
Male
Open: Mon-Sat 4:30am-12:30am; Sun 7am-12am
Access: Male, female, disabled, baby change
Score: 9/10
Cleanliness 4/5; Ample toilet paper 1/1; Ambience 1/1; Soap/paper towels/hand dryer 1/1; Safety 1/1; Accessibility 1/1
Summary: Avoid the upper-level dunnies if you can (you probably won't be able to spot them anyway). Downstairs is where the action's at, and during peak periods you'll find plenty of fellow commuters increasing your wait time. Near-constant cleaning and solid fixtures that actually work make up for this, however. It's the kind of public toilet where you can buy deodorant in consideration of other train passengers and the baby change room even includes a kitschy wooden high-chair for feeding. These loos are perfectly pleasant as far as city facilities go.
- John Bailey
Southern Cross Station
Female
Score: 9/10
Cleanliness 4/5; Toilet paper 1/1; Ambience 1/1; Soap/paper towel/hand dryer 1/1; Safety 1/1; Accessibility 1/1
Summary: Thirteen cubicles allow a line to move reasonably quickly at this busy block. They're spacious, open and clean (aside from strewn paper towel) though high traffic means the seats are a little worn. Large mirrors and a dispenser to buy mints, pain relievers and lip gloss offer a freshen-up before the train. All in all, a pleasant stop.
- Susannah McGregor
Exhibition Street (between Lonsdale and Little Lonsdale streets)
Male
Open: 24 hours
Access: Men only
Score: 2/10
Cleanliness 1/5; Toilet paper 0/1; Ambience 1/1; Soap/paper towels/hand dryer 0/1; Safety 0/1; Accessibility 0/1
Summary: At the city's Paris end this green iron box is, appropriately, of the old-fashioned French street urinal variety. It's been there since 1925. That might have been the last time it was serviced, too. If you're running late for a nearby show, fellas, it's a safe enough scramble across two lanes of traffic to do your business and the occasional sound of passing horse carriages adds an earthy air to proceedings. The wastebasket enigmatically perched at eye-level atop the urinal itself does raise questions, though, and there's nowhere to wash or dry your hands, so this is probably not the spot to visit before a business lunch.
- John Bailey
Underground toilet corner of Collins and Swanston streets
Female
Score: 9/10
Cleanliness 5/5; Toilet paper 1/1; Ambience 1/1; Soap/paper towel/hand dryer 0.5/1; Safety 1/1; Accessibility 0.5/1
Summary: Good lord, I've stumbled upon the Holy Grail of public toilets. With ample toilet paper in each of the six cubicles, shiny clean toilet bowls, light and bright ambience, the subtle scent of musky soap and beautiful clean basins, these are the Rolls Royce of public bathrooms. The only downside is the absence of disabled access and the use of soap cakes rather than a dispenser. Even the gold banisters leading down to the bathroom tell you this is going to be a good experience, and it is.
- Johanna Waldon
Collins Place
Female
Score: 9/10
Cleanliness 4/5; Toilet paper 1/1; Ambience 1/1; Soap/paper towel/hand dryer 1/1; Safety 1/1; Accessibility 1/1
Summary: Wide mirror and good bench space: it's a well-designed girly lavatory. It's clean (serviced every two hours, according to the log) with a pleasant citrus smell and the decor is modern. With a food-court location, three cubicles may mean queues during lunch hour but it's worth the wait.
- Susannah McGregor
Elizabeth and Victoria streets, underground
Male
Open: 7am-5pm. Closed public holidays
Access: Male and female. No disabled access
Score: 1/10
Cleanliness 1/5; Toilet paper 0/1; Ambience 0/1; Soap/paper towels/hand dryer 0/1; Safety 0.5/1; Accessibility 0/1
Summary: Good lord. A putrid stink slaps me as I walk down the twisting stairs. Inside, it's all dripping sink taps, rusted drain tops, cracked tiles, mould and moist, dark places. The mirror is dirty and there's no soap with which to wipe off the stain. What strange hell is this? Three cubicles are occupied and the fourth is without paper. Better you visit the large lavatories within the Queen Victoria Market, across the road. And never speak of this place again.
- Peter Munro
Enjoy!Crohn's and Colitis affects 7 out of every 100,000 people. There is no cure. More research is needed to work on effective treatments until a cure is found. Crohn's is an embarrassing and painful illness, often involving surgery. It can be controlled with medications and although diet does not cause Crohn's, food can trigger violent flair-ups.
So, What have you done to help raise awareness of this debilitating disease today?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
I wrote this for my other blog but I thought I should post it here at wearecrohns also.
Find a Toilet
It's no secret that with Crohn's disease comes the dodgiest of guts that often means urgent dashes for the dunny. It's no big drama if you're at home or the office but what about everywhere else? I know when I'm having a bad day the last thing I want to do is leave the house. Sometimes I have no choice.I'm thinking about this today because my Crohn's has been flaring spectacularly the last few days and even Imodium hasn't made much of a difference. There was time not long after my last surgery where I had to go every half hour. Those were some hard times. Today wasn't anywhere near that bad, but it was enough to get me thinking about the availability (and usability) of public toilets.
A lot of people I've spoken to with Crohn's have talked about having anxiety and panic attacks when they've been out somewhere and needed to use the toilet and there isn't one around. I personally have avoided certain places for years because I know that there is no toilet nearby.
Several weeks ago, my partner discovered a fantastic application on his iPhone called "Toilet Mate" which using GPS will tell you every public toilet within a 5 kilometre radius. This has got to be a Crohnie's dream app. I've tried it out and it is brilliant. If you have an iPhone (and live in Australia) I would recommend you give it a go.
I don't have an iPhone. My mobile phone is about 7 years old, it doesn't even have a camera, let alone the ability to find me a toilet. Recently, my local council has been advertising in the local paper their "ongoing commitment to increased public amenities" aka building more public toilets. I've noticed them popping up in more and more parks and shopping strips.
In my local area I know where all the public toilets are because it's my neighbourhood, I'm out in it almost everyday. But it's not like public toilets are advertised. There's no map of them. If I get the urge to go and I'm in an unfamiliar area I usually head for the nearest Macca's because they're generally everywhere.
But then I thought, if Toilet Mate knows where they are, then there must be a way for me to know where they are. So I went to Google. Google knows everything. Here's what I found:
Find a toilet (Aus), Find a toilet (US), Find a toilet (UK) ~ These are the links to websites where you can find your nearest toilet. You can actually prepare for day trips and outings by finding where the toilets are before you go.
Sitorsquat ~ This one not only tells you where the toilet is but whether it's worth going to. It allows you to rate the toilet too.
SatLav ~ If you're in Westminster text the word "Toilet" to 80097 to receive an SMS of the location of the nearest public toilet.
MizPee (US), Toilet Mate for iPhone (Aus) ~ Applications for your mobile phone to instantly locate the nearest toilet on when you're on the go and... well need to go!
So there you go. I hope this is as helpful to you as it has been to me.
Ok, anyone in Australia who has an iPhone should give this application a look. It will not only tell you where the nearest public toilets are around you (up to a 5 km radius) but will also give you directions on how to get there!!
I think it's the perfect application for us Crohnie's!!
Toilet Mate
By: Toilet Mate
Developer's Notes:
Toilet Mate can help you locate a public toilet when no one else can (in Australia).
Toilet Mate will allow you to find any public toilet in Australia within a ~5km range. Any further than that I would suggest you find a bush somewhere.
Features
- Get directions from your current location to your selected public toilet.
