NEW YORK \u2013 Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that the installation of 17 new public bathrooms has begun across New York City, bringing free, accessible facilities to public plazas and high-traffic areas where New Yorkers currently lack reliable access to a bathroom.<\/p>\n
Mayor Mamdani first announced the City\u2019s commitment to a $4 million modular public bathroom pilot<\/a> in January. In June, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) selected Throne Labs<\/a> through a competitive bidding process to deliver, operate and service the bathrooms.<\/p>\n Each bathroom will be free and open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The ADA-accessible, fully touchless units include a comfortable interior, running-water sink, flushing toilet, climate control and a baby-changing station.<\/p>\n \u201cToo many New Yorkers know what it\u2019s like to have nowhere to go while they\u2019re on the go,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cThis pilot is about making sure New Yorkers can count on a clean, safe, accessible bathroom when they need one. We are going to learn from this pilot and build a public bathroom network that meets the needs of New Yorkers in every borough.\u201d<\/p>\n The pilot will run for one year, with installation beginning this week.<\/p>\n Locations include:<\/p>\n Bronx: Yankee Stadium, Admiral Farragut Playground, Mapes Park and Monsignor Raul Del Valle SquareBrooklyn: Columbus Park, Milestone Park, Fulton Street and Truxton Street and Avenue C PlazaQueens: Astoria Boulevard South and 31st Street, Northern Boulevard and 31st Street, Northern Boulevard and 54th Street and 34th Avenue and 64th StreetManhattan: Cooper Square, Malcolm X Plaza, Delancey Street and Suffolk Street and Plaza Alianza DominicanaStaten Island: North Shore Esplanade<\/p>\n Throne Labs operates networks of public bathrooms in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, the Bay Area and Detroit. The self-contained units do not require connections to water, sewer or power infrastructure, allowing them to be deployed, relocated or removed as community needs change.<\/p>\n Throne Labs will be responsible for cleaning and maintaining each unit. Real-time feedback will allow the company to respond quickly to issues and prioritize units that need attention.<\/p>\n New Yorkers can enter the bathrooms by text message, QR code, through the Throne Bathroom Network app or a tap card distributed by local community partners. The app also allows users to find the nearest bathroom, check real-time cleanliness ratings and see whether a unit is available.<\/p>\n \u201cAll New Yorkers deserve welcoming public spaces that allow them to get where they\u2019re going with dignity and feel cared for. Public restrooms improve the quality of life for everyone, especially our older adults, parents with young children, delivery workers, people with disabilities and so many more,\u201d said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. \u201cWe are proud to have partnered with NYCEDC and Parks to help site these public bathroom locations in high-traffic areas across the five boroughs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis modular restroom pilot ensures that more New Yorkers can easily access free public restrooms where they\u2019re needed most across the five boroughs,\u201d said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. \u201cAs the city\u2019s largest provider of free restroom facilities, Parks is pleased to collaborate on an innovative approach to create clean, safe and fully accessible bathrooms more quickly and efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhether you are making deliveries, working on a construction site, driving a cab or simply spending the day out and about in your neighborhood, you should have reliable access to clean and free restrooms,\u201d said NYCEDC President and CEO Anthony Shorris. \u201cAccess to a restroom is a basic matter of dignity, and these new locations deliver on the City\u2019s commitment to bring facilities to the communities and public spaces where they are needed most.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one should have to worry about finding a public bathroom in this city,\u201d said Council Member Sandy Nurse. \u201cFor decades, our inability to build and manage public restrooms has effectively excluded some people from public space. This is why I am so happy to see the Mamdani administration partner with Throne Labs to install 17 free, menstrual-friendly, cost-effective modular public bathrooms across the city. Slowly but surely, we are moving towards doubling the number of public restrooms by 2035 and creating the city\u2019s first comprehensive public bathroom strategy. Doing so will make our city more livable, more enjoyable and ensure public space is for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAccess to a clean, safe public bathroom is a matter of basic dignity, not a luxury,\u201d said Council Member Shaun Abreu. \u201cThese 17 new restrooms will serve the seniors, parents, their children and everyday New Yorkers who have too often been left searching in vain for a place to go. I applaud Mayor Mamdani and the EDC for delivering such a practical solution, and hope to see this program grow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers know access to public restrooms is a necessity when moving around the city and that not finding one can be disruptive \u2014 for mothers with young children especially,\u201d said Council Member Rita Joseph. \u201cThis investment is a great first step to improving access.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy gut has always caused me issues, and I try not to leave my house without knowing exactly where the nearest restroom is going to be,\u201d said Fletcher Wilson, Co-founder and CEO of Throne Labs. \u201cThat constant worry follows me everywhere. We started Throne to solve exactly this problem, and we\u2019re proud to bring Throne\u2019s restroom solution to all five boroughs of New York City. This launch is personal to me, and I hope it makes daily life a little easier for everyone who calls this city home.\u201d<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2013 Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that the installation of 17 new public bathrooms has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-348410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}