Clean and Safe Public Washrooms in Parks and Transit Stations are Possible

In August, I travelled to the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. One of the things that stood out to me during this trip was the number of well-maintained public washrooms, whether in transit stations, parks, or just on the side of the road.

A public washroom in a Sydney Metro station. Select the image to enlarge.

Access to well-maintained washrooms is essential. I know that access to washrooms is even more critical for folks with children or elders. I've certainly had many times when I've needed to go into a shopping centre or buy a coffee to access a washroom.

The main public transit exchange in Downtown Christchurch, New Zealand which has public washrooms. Select the image to enlarge.

On the long weekend, I travelled to the Puget Sound region to check out the new Link light rail extension, which connects the City of Lynwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline to Seattle and points south. I noticed that the Lynwood City Center station had public washrooms.

Some might think that there is something different about Metro Vancouver that makes it difficult to have public washrooms, especially at transit stations. There isn't, from what I can tell. Some people in all the places I travelled to use washrooms beyond their intended purpose, but the maintenance frequency is higher.

For a local example, the washrooms at Willowbrook Shopping Mall are maintained more frequently than the washrooms at Linwood Park in Langley City. Traditionally, we haven't placed a high value on public washrooms, though this is something that I've been advocating changing, whether at TransLink stations or here in Langley City.

I'm proud that we are building a new public washroom in Douglas Park, but I also acknowledge that we need to increase the frequency of washroom service.

We can have nice things, including clean and safe public washrooms. As a community and a region, we must prioritize it.