Was on the tube longer than expected due to delays tonight. Finally got
to Canning Town busting for a wazz.

I ran - in the hope that they had forgotten to lock the toilets at the
brightly lit Canning Town bus station. But no, they were well locked,
including the disabled ones.

For ****'s sake.

Whilst waiting 15 minutes for a bus at Canning Town I was in pain. I was
close to going there and then but there were too many people.
Furthermo

(a) I'm not a yob and don't want an ASBO

(b) I wasn't drunk enough.


I think it is outrageous that they close the toilets so early. I paid
for those toilets out of my taxes, but they can't be bothered to man
them after about 8 o'clock. And it's after then when they're most
needed, after the pubs.

It's ridiculous. Last month I saw (unintentionally, of course) this girl
have a wee on the ticket hall level of Canning Town station, between the
two escalators. From her expression she was clearly very embarrassed.
She was no yob, she was just caught short. Not hard to do when you have
problems with the tube service.

Who does one complain to? I complained to my MP ages ago via FaxyourMP
and got no answer.

The official reason for closing the toilets early is apparently
something to do with vandalism. Well why don't they have a coin system
then. I'd happily pay 20p after 8pm if that were the answer. Or have a
system that works well on the continent, or here in UK clubs, where you
have someone looking after the toilets and collecting tips. It works,
and it's not as though there's a shortage of people who would gladly
take the job for some money.

The whole system is ridiculous.

In the end, in pain, I managed to hold on and got the bus and persuaded
a kebab shop at the Greengate to let me use their staff-only toilet.

I'm fed up with this. I know yobs are a problem, but shutting down WCs
out of fear of the yobs just will turn ordinary folk into "yobs"
themselves. No one appears to take any responsibility. And the staff at
the station don't give a **** - they have their own toilets.

******** to the lot of them.

Tristán White wrote:
Was on the tube longer than expected due to delays tonight. Finally
got to Canning Town busting for a wazz.

I ran - in the hope that they had forgotten to lock the toilets at the
brightly lit Canning Town bus station. But no, they were well locked,
including the disabled ones.

For ****'s sake.

I know what you mean! I think it's outrageous as well.

The authorities repeatedly put the responsibility on the pubs and other
outlets to provide toilet facilities - but why should they, other than for
their own customers? Being caught short does not necessarily mean that
you've been out drinking all night. You might have had too many cups of tea
before leaving home or work or just have an incontinence problem.

IMO public toilet facilities are a basic human right.

Tristán White wrote:
I think it is outrageous that they close the toilets so early. I paid
for those toilets out of my taxes, but they can't be bothered to man
them after about 8 o'clock. And it's after then when they're most
needed, after the pubs.

I agree, I've been caught short myself and had to find a quiet place.
Unfortunately, I used to work at Willesden Green station, where the
toilets are closed from 8pm daily. If you saw the state of them though
you'd maybe understand - just about every fluid ended up on the floor,
walls, sinks, wherever, and that was with a member of staff standing
right outside. And of course, once that happens, they become unfit for
use and would be closed anyway.

I like the idea of the club-style toilets, where someone mans the
toilets to keep things as they should be, however I wonder how much
difference this would make when a group of drugged up yobs turn up, and
decide they can't be bothered to aim properly, and the toilets end up
closed anyway. I don't think someone standing in the same room (a la
the clubs) is going to make a big difference once they're shut in their
own cubicle...

Even paying 20p, or more wouldn't stop it, as my painful experience in
public loos off Kensington High Street proved to me! Maybe 50p would
work though, as the toilets on the river at Westminster are always well
kept!

Since I've been growing up I've hated this culture of the minority
spoiling things for everyone else, but no-one seems to stand up
(possibly for fear of being stabbed in the eye with a dirty needle!)

Thanks to the comments of support from yourself and others here!

As to some of the more negative comments, I am sure that the 20p charge
*would* act as a deterrant - yobs are less likely to spend 20p if they want
to vandalise, there are plenty of free places out there they can attack.

Improved CCTV at the entrance (obviously not in the toilet itself though!),
someone there manning it and cleaning up afterwards... all these things
help, and rather than costing the taxpayer extra money, it could end up
paying for itself.

It's sad but true but people see any group of young guys wearing hoodies
and automatically think they're trouble. In actual fact - even in Canning
Town - the yobs are a tiny tiny percentage. Having someone manning the
place and collecting tips, or charging 20p via a turnstile or whatever, is
surely the way forward.

As for the rant about rates, well they're always going up and the council
tax is already so high - a pound per person per year will be welcomed if it
means later-opening facilities at the underground station (and as a result,
less public inconvenience).

To take my borough as an example: 246,200 inhabitants, 10,000 unemployed. I
am sure that it wouldn't cost more than £200K per year to keep existing
underground station toilets open for another 4 and a half hours per day,
and have someone there manning it and taking tips. Furthermore, providing
employment.

As for contacting my MP, tried it and had no reply. Twice. Not about this
issue, but on a request to provide an opening in the fence between exit 5
of the bus station and Canning Town, and Silvertown Way, so that people can
get to the taxi rank easily when they get off the tube without having to
somersault over the fence, or walk the long way round and miss the odd taxi
that might be there.

As a result, there are hardly ANY taxis EVER at that rank, because it's so
annoying to get to. It would be much easier if you are waiting for either a
bus or a taxi (whichever comes first) and can easily get from one to the
other without risking ones family jewels. An opening in the fence, and the
pedestrian crossing to be moved accordingly (as hardly anyone uses the
"main" exit at Canning Town unless they are fanatics of climbing stairs).

But that's for another post, another day. :-)

Tristán White wrote:
(snip)
As for contacting my MP, tried it and had no reply. Twice. Not about this
issue, but on a request to provide an opening in the fence between exit 5
of the bus station and Canning Town, and Silvertown Way, so that people can
get to the taxi rank easily when they get off the tube without having to
somersault over the fence, or walk the long way round and miss the odd taxi
that might be there.

As a result, there are hardly ANY taxis EVER at that rank, because it's so
annoying to get to. It would be much easier if you are waiting for either a
bus or a taxi (whichever comes first) and can easily get from one to the
other without risking ones family jewels. An opening in the fence, and the
pedestrian crossing to be moved accordingly (as hardly anyone uses the
"main" exit at Canning Town unless they are fanatics of climbing stairs).

But that's for another post, another day. :-)

Come on, you know you want to. I presume you've tried contacting TfL
about it directly? There's also your London Assembly member and your
local councillor, although Newham can sometimes be, shall we say, rather
unproductive.

--
Dave Arquati
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Dave Arquati wrote in
:

Come on, you know you want to. I presume you've tried contacting TfL
about it directly? There's also your London Assembly member and your
local councillor, although Newham can sometimes be, shall we say,
rather unproductive.


No, I contacted Tony Banks RIP about it, when he was still my MP, and I
contacted Sir Robin Wales about it (the mayor), and got an automated
response about it but nothing since.

I'll try Robin Wales again, as he was actually very helpful when I
suggested a glass recycling thingy at the bottom of my road (Tunmarsh Lane
and Beaumont Road junction), and a couple of weeks later I got a reply
saying that they agreed it would be useful, and a week later there it was.

I was impressed. Even if all the letters were addressed to the person who
died in this house aged 99 back in 1998 when we bought it :-) Even though
the email form I sent them was in my name.

I haven't contacted TfL about it, no. Perhaps that would be better.

It would be so handy though to have a proper taxi rank there, that is used,
and that is accessible from the bus station without leaping over the gate
or walking the long way round (by when you'd miss the taxi and the bus!).

In message . 145,
Tristán White writes
I think it is outrageous that they close the toilets so early. I paid
for those toilets out of my taxes, but they can't be bothered to man
them after about 8 o'clock. And it's after then when they're most
needed, after the pubs.
A slightly more accurate statement is that you pay (out of your taxes)
for the toilets to be manned between the times they are opened. So if
you want them to be opened longer then that's an additional financial
requirement.

I wonder whether pay-for-use toilets on the underground would be more
likely to avoid the attentions of the anti-social contingent? Fenchurch
Street toilets are always busy regardless of the fact that there are
toilets on board every train.

For what it's worth I sympathise entirely however! Luck of the drawer
how good one's bladder is and I understand (from talking to friends)
that it can even make one reconsider one's evening plans depending on
the availability of facilities.

I believe central government removed the requirement of local
authorities to maintain public toilets in the 1980s 9as a cash saving
measure), but I could be wrong in this (it may just be in 1980s local
councils realised that there was no statutory requirement to provide
public toilets). Certainly something along those lines!

Paul G wrote:

A slightly more accurate statement is that you pay (out of your taxes)
for the toilets to be manned between the times they are opened. So if
you want them to be opened longer then that's an additional financial
requirement.

Could the provision of chargeable toilets be considered a business
opportunity? It certainly seems to be in Germany.

Neil

Neil Williams wrote:
Could the provision of chargeable toilets be considered a business
opportunity? It certainly seems to be in Germany.

Can't remember if it was driving in Holland or Germany, but there were
some VERY futuristic loos at some service stations that charged 50
cents, or a Euro (can't remember now) and you got a voucher to use in
the shop, or any other place that had this chain of toilet. They were
very, very clean.

As an aside, isn't SWT saying they're going to remove up to 30 toilets
from their short-distance commuter stock to accomodate more seats. Of
course, these trains may then end up on the longer distance services
when there's a fault/stock shortage. A slippery slope! Take away
toilets on trains (or even reduce the number, bearing in mind that they
'fill up' quite quickly and will now effectively do so twice as quick)
and there will be carnage! Keep the deep clean crew on permanent
standby!

Jonathan

"Jonathan Morris" wrote in message
oups.com...

As an aside, isn't SWT saying they're going to remove up to 30 toilets
from their short-distance commuter stock to accomodate more seats. Of
course, these trains may then end up on the longer distance services
when there's a fault/stock shortage. A slippery slope! Take away
toilets on trains (or even reduce the number, bearing in mind that they
'fill up' quite quickly and will now effectively do so twice as quick)
and there will be carnage! Keep the deep clean crew on permanent
standby!

Jonathan


That is a possible risk, the 450s have 2 toilets, I guess they will leave
the train with the DDA compliant toilet only, as there are only 2 per unit.
They seem to be converting 28 out of the eventual 127 units, perhaps they
will repaint them in the 'red' inner suburban livery to assist in keeping
them on appropriate diagrams!

However the Southeastern 376s have no toilets and minimum seating, and don't
appear to have caused a media frenzy, neither have the intended 'Overground'
units based on 376s for the future NLR stock.

Paul