The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to pass the “D.C. Public Restroom Facilities Installation and Promotion Act” which will bring more public restrooms to the District.
The final vote on the bill is expected to be held on December 18. A working group will be created by the bill that will manage a two-pronged pilot program of public restrooms in D.C.
One or two public restrooms will be built under the program at different city locations depending on the need. In addition, a financial incentive program will be kept in place to let private businesses keep their restrooms available for people who might need them for free.
Over the last four years, the People For Fairness Coalition (PFFC), which consists of homeless and formerly homeless people, has been working to increase the number of public restrooms available in D.C.
“Suppose you were a man with a family and all of a sudden your two-year-old says, ‘I have to go,’ and you have to buy a cup of coffee just to go to the bathroom?” said Janet Sharp, a member of the PFFC, who believes there’s a need to offer public restrooms in the city and make them available for people from all backgrounds.
Currently, there are only seven public restrooms in D.C., which are also publicized by the D.C. government on its website. And only two among them – the restrooms at the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials – are open round-the-clock.
“Fewer people will want to use their restroom and more people might welcome shopping in that area,” said Marcia Bernbaum, an advisor to the PFFC, noting that more public restrooms in D.C. would also benefit businesses in the District.
Bill to bring more public restrooms to DC passes important step https://t.co/mz97mzowLq pic.twitter.com/73LMV39A04
— WUSA9 (@wusa9) December 6, 2018
D.C. will follow cities like Portland and Oregon that have already invested in public restrooms.