Mapping Restroom Locations:  From paper maps to hand held GPS.

A public toilet is of little use if people don’t know where is it.   Restrooms that are unmarked and unmapped may fall victim to crime and misuse.     Effective signage and mapping are necessary.   When PHLUSH started its work in 2006, most public restrooms in Portland had no signs and none appeared on a map or website for visitors.  Fortunately, this has changed.  We look at everything from hand held GPS locators to paper maps.

The Portland Visitors’ Map

This advertising-supported fold-out paper map is produced annually and distributed free of charge in hotels, restaurants and retail locations.  It now features toilet icons in fourteen locations from the Central City to Washington Park Rose Garden.

Portland’s distinctive bicycle rack-signs.  

Historic Comfort Stations in Chapman, Lownsdale and Ankeny Parks feature not only the familiar ADA complaint blue and white signs, but are identified by purpose – designed blue bicycle racks.

Sit or Squat

There have been expriments with Google Map-assisted restroom locaters on the Internet for several years but until now none has had a national reach.    Sit or Squat has developed a global online locator system that invites users to upload restroom photo and enter data on location, features, opening hours, and numbers to call if maintenance is required.  Sit or Squat applications for iPhone and BlackBerry incorporate and enable upload and ratings at toilet site. Sit or Squat’s data base is growing at an impressive rate but mixes privately owned facilities in stores, restaurants, clubs and gas stations withgovernment owned and operated restrooms and does not clearly distinguish the later.

Toward a national map of publicly-owned public toilets?

Australia’s National Public Toilet Map is a nationwide map of true public toilets, ie publicly owned toilets at parks, nature reserves, railway stations and highway rest stops.  Includes for each facility opening hours, features, GPS coordinates, and contact information for local government agency responsible.    Toilet finder with features, lists all toilets along a walking or driving route, a personalized trip save feature.   The Map is a project of the national Continence Management Strategy of the Austraian Government’s Department of Health and Ageing.