For as fun as it can be navigating New York City’s streets, it’s long had one major problem: not enough public toilets. The city aims to fix that by installing 17 technologically advanced public restrooms with a strict 10-minute time limit to ensure no one takes up a stall for too long.
In a city with 8.5 million people and only about 1,000 public restrooms, finding a place to dump out the effects of that gigantic iced coffee you kicked your day off with could be a desperate mission. As reported by USA Today, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $4 million pilot program features self-contained “robotoilets” built by Throne Labs.
These are solar-powered toilets that don’t need to be hooked up to the sewer. They run off of tap cards or smartphone apps and even include baby changing stations. If you are imagining a sad, plastic-walled construction-site portable toilet, know these toilets have a bit of decoration, with walls covered in pleasant, plant-patterned wallpaper that makes the interior look like the bathroom in a trendy brunch spot.
NYC’s New Public Toilets Have a 10-Minute Limit. Then the Doors Open Automatically.
The catch? You’re on a merciless, unforgiving clock. As Mamdani eloquently warned: “This is not a place to scroll on your phone.” You’ve got 10 minutes to do your business and get out. At five minutes, an automated voice reminds you to wrap this up real quick.
As reported by Gothamist, once the deadline hits, the voice will say, in both English and Spanish, “Attention: Your use time has expired. The door is opening now.” You will get a 30-second grace period before the automatic door slides.
Throne Labs says the average squat takes only 3 1/2 minutes anyway, but anyone battling an extended disagreement with their lunch might feel the pressure from both within their guts and from the little toilet cubicle that they’re in.
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