Public toilets and changing rooms should be redesigned to keep everyone safe

[Quinoawoman]

I propose that by changing the design of public toilets and changing rooms, we can keep everyone safe.
Pic 1 - how most public toilets are now. Small, dark doorway into dark space that can't be seen from the outside. I've often worried that there could be someone hiding in there waiting to do me harm. Would not let my daughter in there alone. Would not let my son go in the gents alone.
Pic 2 - unisex cubicles (floor to ceiling) all with an individual door onto the street. Pull open the door and see the whole space - limited room for someone to hide. Door obviously lockable from inside. No more worrying about where to send your child whose sex is different from yours.

Changing rooms could be similar - individual cubicles straight off the shop floor. No more David Lloyd-style open changing spaces where you fear dropping your towel and flashing everyone.

YABU - changing rooms and toilets are fine as they are
YANBU - changing the design would be better for everyone.

I dont understand how your model would work for a gym wrt showers? Shower in each one, in which case theyd need to be huge and take up loads of space for the amount needed at a gym, or communal unisex in which case you cant strip off and get a proper shower?

I don't like the "closeness" of the passing public if theres literally just the one door between me and an open public space, especially outdoors. I much prefer cubicles inside an enclosed room. Floor to ceiling doors is also preferable, as long as they aren't motion sensored lights, which are in the main "room" where the sinks are. I am disabled and have IBS but try my best to use regular facilities, but it takes me longer than a typical person. The number of times all the lights have gone off on me before i'm done and am left unable to see what i'm doing is seriously not fun.

@Quinoawoman the fact is that women are safer in single sex spaces that are actually single sex rather than single gender (which are mixed sex in disguise)/mixed sex. Also disabled people need the gap at the bottom of the door incase they have a sezure, collapse or fall, your solution puts them at risk of not being found in time to save their lives.

Our town public toilet are like number 2 now. As are many. It becomes problematic when you want to introduce these toilets inside buildings simply due to space. We all know women's toilets have a lot less cubicles than men's, who have urinals/troughs to urinate in and speed things up.

Our school has only cubicles in both boys and women's toilets, as well as separate unit disabled toilets (also termed accessible for those who cannot use sex based spaces). All this means is constant queues. The students who need DISABLED spaces are now having to use staff disabled toilets due gender neutral students taking over disabled toilets and queuing. It's not fair when a student leaks all over their clothes because they've not been able to deal with their catheter in time due to selfish teenagers.

No thanks, don’t want to share with males, don’t see why I should compromise my safety and dignity just because men demand access 🤷‍♀️

It’s ok to just say no to men. If they behave better, it wouldn’t be such an issue would it? All their own fault.

I think there’s far more important things to spend limited public funds on, we are in a recession!

This! I never use a toilet unless I can physically reach the door due to him unlocking it so many times, don’t get me started with him bashing the buttons on train loo doors when he was little.

Who will pay for it all?

Here's an idea. Facilities stay single sex. Costs less, keeps women and girls safe.

What's not to love?!

No - totally enclosed cubicles are a bad idea for safety reasons, and personally they make me very claustrophobic.

I don’t want unisex toilets. Female toilets are cleaner and smell a thousand times better.

Yes I absolutely agree that safety should be a priority. That's why I made the post.

No article linked but I did my own research. I can see that the data shows that changing villages are less than ideal for safety. I do think there is a way of making it work though - like this photo of how swimming pools used to be and the new Lido in Bath. Lots of cubicles (or in the case of Bath, totally closed off individual rooms) round the edge of the pool. No long, lonely corridors to go down - and the research did show that quite a few sexual assaults happened in the corridors of leisure centres too.

It seems to me like your school needs to do better at providing apprporiate facilities, then:

www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/transgender-teens-restricted-bathroom-access-sexual-assault/

Most disabled toilets don't have a gap at the bottom though?

What do you think it says about me? It's not clear from your hint.

Yeah, loads of times - my kids were either in a buggy or were old enough to understand that no means no. That short gap you have between those two states is only a very short season in your life, which can easily be overcome by moving the lock a bit higher up.

Men use toilets for different 'activities' than women.

I think all toilets should be redesigned to have accessibly facilities front and foremost however they should all still be single sex to reduce the risks to women and girls.

The problem is when the same floor space is given to make toilets which need much less space than female ones which in turn reduces the numbers that can get through. Also women's are seen as an add on in old buildings and fitted into tiny spaces. Whereas in new buildings they could easily be given the space they need. There should be not just one accessible toilet but many, still dedicated to single sex use.

Everyone needs toilets but they are never really properly designed for use by the people that really need it for anything other than the basics.

The whole industry needs an overhaul.

You haven't answered my question. How does the DESIGN suggested preclude use by disabled people? It seems pretty obvious to me that it can easily be modified to include a disabled toilet.

Well my downstairs bathroom has a shower, a sink and a loo plus space to get dry & put clothes on - without getting the tape measure out, I'd say it's about 1.5m x 2.5m and you could make it smaller without the sink or toilet.

Already addressed the leisurr centre issue above.

Disabled toilets are often unisex and that is deemed fine. No one seems to be complaining about piss everywhere. Most of us probably live with men and boys, thereby sharing a toilet with them at home. I don't refuse to use the toilet my husband uses and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

I don’t agree that everything should be changed to unisex. There are still issues with unisex such as having to use it after men have made it filthy, the risk of being bundled in and raped like the girl in Wales recently, dodgy licks too far away to hold while you’re in the loo and the space inefficiency.

Some unisex are good but I wish to maintain the current provision of male and female (based on sex not identity) as well.

Ooooo if we’re redesigning toilets I’d like to make it so I don’t have to touch any doors after I’ve already washed my hands!

Disabled toilets are often unisex and that is deemed fine. No one seems to be complaining about piss everywhere. Most of us probably live with men and boys, thereby sharing a toilet with them at home. I don't refuse to use the toilet my husband uses and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Maybe disabled people are more considerate of others because they appreciate the facilities? They will get less usage as long as people respect that they are for disabled people only.

I have had to use mixed sex toilets recently on several occasions and even when the other users are men that can afford an expensive meal in a posh restaurant, the toilets were grim. I have used ladies toilets for years (all my life in fact) and they are generally far cleaner.

Why would anyone refuse to use the same toilet as their husband? Presumably he has basic levels of decency and doesn’t wee all over the seat and floor and leave it for you to clean up? Other men unfortunately are not as considerate.

What I don't get with the hoo-ha about unisex toilets is that male sex offenders could walk into a female toilet block as it is. Presumably it happens a bit but not that much.

Yes of course they can but it is harder. They have every right to walk into a unisex toilet, they do not have every right to be in a female only toilet and can be challenged if spotted by security, picked up on cctv and potentially identified and sanctioned/banned from the premises if they persist.

It amazes me in discussions about single sex spaces that so many are so keen to make it easier for predators. We know that bad things happen and normally we take measures to try and prevent them reoccurring.

Why are people wanting to remove barriers for sex offenders and make it easier for them?

Because the economy is booming to the extent we can afford to waste probably hundreds of millions to change every public toilet in the UK

Get a grip!