Bus Station Facilities

[Ginger66]

With both Walsall and West Bromwich bus stations getting refurbished public rest rooms 

I noticed the sign on Walsall saying use Pall Mall shopping centre  or Old Square for passengers to use.  The shopping centre in question is open 8am to 5pm.

The toliets in West Brom say use kings square shopping centre which are locked before 9am and close at 5pm again no facilities  before or after these times.

[Solo1]

Dudley Is the same theres toilets round the corner over the rs from the chippy  but open from a certain time & Halesowen in shopping centre

[the trainbasher]

What I don't get is, why don't they install the self cleaning toilets similar to what Sandwell have installed at different points within their borough in the bus station. These toilets have sensors which can tell if more than one person is occupying the lavatory.

Yes, it costs 20p (amd normally I'd be against paying for use of a public lavatory) but at least there would be facilities for people to use.

Either that or post a member of staff in the vicinity.

Access to a toilet is a basic human right and closing a toilet is not on, even if it's on the grounds of anti social behaviour or for part of the day.

What about those who need a toilet at short notice. Are they expected to urinate themselves at the hands of the combined authorities policies?

[Tony]

What I don't get is, why don't they install the self cleaning toilets similar to what Sandwell have installed at different points within their borough in the bus station. These toilets have sensors which can tell if more than one person is occupying the lavatory.

Yes, it costs 20p (amd normally I'd be against paying for use of a public lavatory) but at least there would be facilities for people to use.

Either that or post a member of staff in the vicinity.

Access to a toilet is a basic human right and closing a toilet is not on, even if it's on the grounds of anti social behaviour or for part of the day.

What about those who need a toilet at short notice. Are they expected to urinate themselves at the hands of the combined authorities policies?

Don't get the main part of your point here. TfWM's policy is to have toilets available. Good ones at that which is why they are being refurbished.

[Gareth]

What about those who need a toilet at short notice. Are they expected to urinate themselves at the hands of the combined authorities policies?

What about all the people who use the thousands of bus stops across the West Midlands without a public toilet attached? Are they expected to urinate themselves?

[Westy]

What about all the people who use the thousands of bus stops across the West Midlands without a public toilet attached? Are they expected to urinate themselves?

Well they've been known to dump their chips after a  night out!

[Bob]

The last time i used Walsall bus stn ones they werent in very good condition. The old ones at the previous bus stn were much better had about 10 cubicles! I cant believe theyve demolished Bloxwich loos! They were really needed! Disgusting condition they were allowed to get to though, shame on Walsall MBC

[Stephen Parry]

I won't go into great detail about a medical need I have for toilet access, but there is one. And it seems we're not always considered. My high street used to have toilet facilities, but they don't currently. A council employee I complained to told me to use a pub or cafe. Great, given their toilets are for customers only. Do I buy a pie or orange juice for the sake of it simply because I need to urinate? And is it fair to expect cafes and pubs to provide toilet facilities for non-customers just because the likes of high streets, councils and bus stations won't?

As someone who has a medical need to have convenient toilet access, it can be hard. I am not after sympathy. I am merely after practicality. Some toilets were unavailable in West Bromwich recently. And one has to ensure they always have 20p/50p/whatever it costs to use a toilet because none of them give change out.

It does mean, on a bad day, that I will avoid certain places. I can easily spend much time in, say, the Bullring as they have toilet facilities that are free, but visiting the market in West Bromwich is "pot luck". At times, the toilets have been out of use. Please just think how hard it is for someone like myself who has that medical need. Again, not sympathy, just practicality.

I am not asking for a toilet on every street corner of the UK. It is a shame there are so few council toilets around. Parks used to have them, too. The only council ones you see now are pay-to-use ones (hence why I always try and have exact change, but one can fail with that some of the time). So while I am not asking for a toilet on every street corner, it'd be nice if high streets and markets and bus stations had free toilets.

I do hear the vandalism argument a lot. A council employee used that when I complained about a lack of facilities on my high street. So, we give up providing toilets, do we? We give it up because of vandalism. May as well not have anything, then. If vandalism is so prevalent, and I know it can be, let's get rid of everything and anything that could be vandalised. I'm sorry, but that's a weak excuse. When you take away things like toilet facilities because there MAY be some vandalism, or has been, you're depriving law-abiding citizens of something that is useful, doubly so if there's a medical need. I know vandals exist, of course.

It just seems like a very weak excuse.

[DJ]

I won't go into great detail about a medical need I have for toilet access, but there is one. And it seems we're not always considered. My high street used to have toilet facilities, but they don't currently. A council employee I complained to told me to use a pub or cafe. Great, given their toilets are for customers only. Do I buy a pie or orange juice for the sake of it simply because I need to urinate? And is it fair to expect cafes and pubs to provide toilet facilities for non-customers just because the likes of high streets, councils and bus stations won't?

As someone who has a medical need to have convenient toilet access, it can be hard. I am not after sympathy. I am merely after practicality. Some toilets were unavailable in West Bromwich recently. And one has to ensure they always have 20p/50p/whatever it costs to use a toilet because none of them give change out.

It does mean, on a bad day, that I will avoid certain places. I can easily spend much time in, say, the Bullring as they have toilet facilities that are free, but visiting the market in West Bromwich is "pot luck". At times, the toilets have been out of use. Please just think how hard it is for someone like myself who has that medical need. Again, not sympathy, just practicality.

I am not asking for a toilet on every street corner of the UK. It is a shame there are so few council toilets around. Parks used to have them, too. The only council ones you see now are pay-to-use ones (hence why I always try and have exact change, but one can fail with that some of the time). So while I am not asking for a toilet on every street corner, it'd be nice if high streets and markets and bus stations had free toilets.

I do hear the vandalism argument a lot. A council employee used that when I complained about a lack of facilities on my high street. So, we give up providing toilets, do we? We give it up because of vandalism. May as well not have anything, then. If vandalism is so prevalent, and I know it can be, let's get rid of everything and anything that could be vandalised. I'm sorry, but that's a weak excuse. When you take away things like toilet facilities because there MAY be some vandalism, or has been, you're depriving law-abiding citizens of something that is useful, doubly so if there's a medical need. I know vandals exist, of course.

It just seems like a very weak excuse.

I'd suggest getting a Radar key if you do have an actual medical need for toilet facilities, as they're cheap on Ebay, and you wouldn't have to carry around change for the toilets then.

[Solo1]

Could you not get a card from the hospital to say you need to
use the toliet if no others about

[Stephen Parry]

Thanks. I'm embarrassed to ask in real life. It's a bit like if I have to use a pub's toilet, you don't really want to explain WHY or show any sort of note/card.

Just feels like there's fewer facilities now.

Since we're on a bus forum, it makes you wonder how drivers get on. They can hardly park up and use toilets near, say, parks as there don't appear to be many or any left.

[Westy]

Thanks. I'm embarrassed to ask in real life. It's a bit like if I have to use a pub's toilet, you don't really want to explain WHY or show any sort of note/card.

Just feels like there's fewer facilities now.

Since we're on a bus forum, it makes you wonder how drivers get on. They can hardly park up and use toilets near, say, parks as there don't appear to be many or any left.

Reminds of the scene in 'Mutiny On The Buses', where Stan & Jack doctor the female drivers teas, so they have to keep going to the loo!

[Kevin]

Drivers regularly use pub toilets.
I agree, the vandalism excuse is a bit weak, at the end of the day it's not really the vandalism that's the issue it's the cost of employing toilet staff to discourage the vandalism that's the issue

Personally, if I need a toilet and there aren't public facilities around, I will just go to a pub. If the staff there have issues with that they probably have a louder voice to complain to councils than Joe Public does

[Stephen Parry]

The vandalism excuse is very weak because imagine it with anything else.

"We're getting rid of benches because of vandals."
"We're getting rid of car parks because of vandals, sorry you'll have to park down a side street."
"We're getting rid of pub car parks because of drink driving."

We're living in an austerity age (not for the ruling class, of course!), but it'd be nice to see more police/security/street wardens patrolling and checking in on toilets. I know this does cost money, but everyone should have access to a toilet.

It's not even about my medical need. Many people probably drink a lot of water in the summer while out, especially those jogging. There was a time when a jogger could easily access a public toilet in a park, but I can't imagine any parks have toilets now, I certainly haven't seen any in Birmingham.

[Bob]

Don't get the main part of your point here. TfWM's policy is to have toilets available. Good ones at that which is why they are being refurbished.

Unless at Dudley bus station. Theyre closed down replaced by council facilities that are down the road and not always open. Why couldnt they be kept open? Couldnt TFWM take the bus stn ones on?