Is evading the lavatory entry fee seen as harshly as evading a fare?

[Bletchleyite]

Or go on the train before you get to the station...

Or go on the train in the station, now they have tanks.

(The amount of **** on the track at Manchester Picc and Paddington is directly caused by the charge at the station)

 

[Carlisle]

Thankfully the toilets at Cannon Street were made free last year when Charing Cross & Victoria got away with the charge

Oh right cheers, it’s been at least a couple of years s since Ive visited that pub .

 

[sarahj]

I think everyone would prefer free toilets but once they become free they can very quickly deteriorate in terms of cleanliness and availability (vandalised cubicles etc). Victoria isn't the nicest toilet now after going free.

St Pancras often has queues, sometimes even for men, while King's Cross is pretty clean and without queues - but costs 30p.

Agreed. Brightons toilets went free, and went from clean and all working to trashed within a few weeks. Last time I went in, 3 out of 9 were working and useable. I think the charges have come back in. TBH. 20 or 30p is nothing compared to the 1 euro you pay over seas.

 

[infobleep]

Agreed. Brightons toilets went free, and went from clean and all working to trashed within a few weeks. Last time I went in, 3 out of 9 were working and useable. I think the charges have come back in. TBH. 20 or 30p is nothing compared to the 1 euro you pay over seas.

Ii can see why they charge.

Guildford charge or use to, if they don't now but Woking never has. Perhaps Woking has never had an issue with toilet users. That surprises me though as I wouldn't have thought Woking would have any more a higher class of passenger than Guildford. It isn't a student town though, if that makes any difference.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Being able to eat arguably could also be seen as a human right - but that doesn't mean I should expect my local Sainsbury's to provide me with free sandwiches whenever I wish!

I do think that there should be a responsibility on local authorities to ensure adequate toilets are provided for the public in town centres etc., and any business should have a responsibility to provide toilets to customers if that nature of their business involves customers staying on their premises for a reasonable while - which would imply pubs providing toilets for customers - as just about every pub already does. But requiring pubs to provide toilets to non-customers is not reasonable.

Well you'd best hope in your world that you never suffer from incontinence or irritable bowel syndrome. Is there no service to the public that the extremists don't want to tax or rob us of ? Most businesses extort enough off us without the indignity of expecting us to pay for basic rights. I recall a visitor from South Africa once asking me where the toilets were at Heathrow Central (now 123) and when I told him there weren't any his retort was 'No wonder the English are always P*****g and S******g themselves'.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Well you'd best hope in your world that you never suffer from incontinence or irritable bowel syndrome. Is there no service to the public that the extremists don't want to tax or rob us of ? Most businesses extort enough off us without the indignity of expecting us to pay for basic rights. I recall a visitor from South Africa once asking me where the toilets were at Heathrow Central (now 123) and when I told him there weren't any his retort was 'No wonder the English are always P*****g and S******g themselves'.

Ummm, did you actually read my message before you posted your reply? If you did, you might have noticed that I was arguing that local authorities should provide adequate toilet facilities for the public, and businesses where appropriate should provide them for their customers, but that it is unreasonable to expect private businesses to pay to provide free toilet facilities for the general public. I'm not sure why you would think that point of view is so objectionable?

And using language along the lines of extremists wanting to tax and rob us really is a bit childish and over-exaggerated, don't you think!

I'm pretty sure by the way that Heathrow has lots of toilets available in all terminals. I've certainly never had any trouble finding any whenever I've been there.

 

[theageofthetra]

Thankfully the toilets at Cannon Street were made free last year when Charing Cross & Victoria got away with the charge

And both are now cottaging hotspots as a result

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Ummm, did you actually read my message before you posted your reply? If you did, you might have noticed that I was arguing that local authorities should provide adequate toilet facilities for the public, and businesses where appropriate should provide them for their customers, but that it is unreasonable to expect private businesses to pay to provide free toilet facilities for the general public. I'm not sure why you would think that point of view is so objectionable?

And using language along the lines of extremists wanting to tax and rob us really is a bit childish and over-exaggerated, don't you think!

I'm pretty sure by the way that Heathrow has lots of toilets available in all terminals. I've certainly never had any trouble finding any whenever I've been there.

No not at all - am fed up of people calling anyone who wants basic human rights and decency for all as extremists... the real extremists are those extremists of greed who want to make a profit out of what should be a basic human right.. everything from providing public toilets to decent care for the elderly. We are supposedly a civilised society so we provide the services - and none of this "we" can't afford it nonsense.

There are no toilets on the Piccadilly line platforms and ironically the South African gentlemen downed a bottle of Glenfiddich, collapsed and had to be removed from the train at Kings Cross.

 

[Master29]

You make a mess of your trousers.

If you`re jumping the barriers the "getting caught" mentioned here might mean something altogether different and more painfull

 

[cuccir]

At least we're not the Netherlands.

My only conclusion is that the Dutch are either mutants who do not deficate, or sadists who enjoy human suffering...

 

[Intermodal]

At least we're not the Netherlands.

My only conclusion is that the Dutch are either mutants who do not deficate, or sadists who enjoy human suffering...

But at least you can pay on your contactless card instead of finding 30p.

 

[thaitransit]

In Australia all railway station toilets are free to use. If in the paid area you get upto 15 minutes to use when you touch on at the ticket barriers before you get charged a fare.

Also no shopping centres or city council toilets charge fees either for use. It was seen as unreasonable to charged and only led to increased public urination all over the place. The public toilet fees where removed in Australia in 1970s.

 

[DarloRich]

The reason you pay for station toilets is to keep them fairly clean and tidy and to keep the drug addicts, cottagers,homeless and general wrong uns out.

I don't mind paying 30p for that. Your call.

 

[mrcheek]

No not at all - am fed up of people calling anyone who wants basic human rights and decency for all as extremists... the real extremists are those extremists of greed who want to make a profit out of what should be a basic human right.. everything from providing public toilets to decent care for the elderly. We are supposedly a civilised society so we provide the services - and none of this "we" can't afford it nonsense.

There are no toilets on the Piccadilly line platforms and ironically the South African gentlemen downed a bottle of Glenfiddich, collapsed and had to be removed from the train at Kings Cross.

PLease can you post your home address on the forum, so that if any of us are nearby, we can come around and use your toilet.
If you do not allow this, then you are obviously the Devil incarnate

 

[AlterEgo]

Do any forumites know of any loopholes by which one could deposit a penny for lavatorial entry but spend rather more than that once through the gateline?

Yes, stay in there for the whole day and leave more than one deposit despite paying only one entrance fee.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The reason you pay for station toilets is to keep them fairly clean and tidy and to keep the drug addicts, cottagers,homeless and general wrong uns out.

I don't mind paying 30p for that. Your call.

I'm OK with paying for that reason (free ones always seem to be disgusting) but I do wish there was a contactless pad to avoid faffing with change.

 

[yorksrob]

I don't mind paying a small charge (20p, no more) but I expect there to be a large number of toilets available, not three cubicles and having to wait around the urinals for one to become free (Leeds, this means you).

 

[underbank]

I think everyone would prefer free toilets but once they become free they can very quickly deteriorate in terms of cleanliness and availability (vandalised cubicles etc).

Only if they're not looked after properly. Plenty of places have free toilets open to the public without having to buy something, i.e. shopping centres, supermarkets, cinemas, shops, retail parks, hotels, airports, hospitals, car parks, motorway service stations, etc and most I've been in have been reasonably clean, tidy and well maintained. I've never understood why train stations charge for the same - it's just profiteering. Not just that, but last time I paid to use the ones at Euston, they were in a disgusting state so it's not as if having to pay guarantees them to be in a good condition.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Euston bogs are much nicer since they were done up, but they *still* have the problem of the flush sensor being mounted too low down, so when you move around on the seat you trigger a flush while still seated (aka the "Euston bidet"). Needs a flap over the top or something if it isn't feasible to move it up a foot or so.

 

[mpthomson]

Well you'd best hope in your world that you never suffer from incontinence or irritable bowel syndrome. Is there no service to the public that the extremists don't want to tax or rob us of ? Most businesses extort enough off us without the indignity of expecting us to pay for basic rights. I recall a visitor from South Africa once asking me where the toilets were at Heathrow Central (now 123) and when I told him there weren't any his retort was 'No wonder the English are always P*****g and S******g themselves'.

if you suffer from incontinence a free toilet isn't going to make any difference at all. In the vast majority of toilets in France and Germany that are for the public's use there is an expectation that a tip/donation/fee is payable for their upkeep. They seem to manage without descending into hysteria.

I don't recall seeing 'the English' soiling themselves in any great number, do you? An inaccurate comment from a visitor isn't evidence...

 

[radamfi]

Big stations often have big hotels near them, which have nicer and free toilets.

 

[Geoff DC]

Where did you go trucking?

As far east as Pakistan, but mainly Saudi + Qatar & Beirut / Happy days
Used to park up in Damascus beside the Hejaz railway near the main station

 

[underbank]

In the vast majority of toilets in France and Germany that are for the public's use there is an expectation that a tip/donation/fee is payable for their upkeep.

Having recently spent a week in Berlin, I didn't pay once for the toilet and didn't see any sign of people hanging around outside collecting money etc. That included the airport, a central main line railway station, shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, etc.

 

[sprunt]

20 or 30p is nothing compared to the 1 euro you pay over seas.

When I was in Oslo Central station last year, the charge was 20kr - approximately £2! Any advance on that?

 

[richw]

I’ve always found those which charge to be much cleaner and more pleasant environments (they don’t seem hang outs for junkies)
Alternatively you can buy a radar key on eBay (and similar) for a couple of quid and use the disabled toilet for free. This isn’t something I’d advocate, or whether it’s morally right is for you to decide.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

No not at all - am fed up of people calling anyone who wants basic human rights and decency for all as extremists...

I'm not aware that anyone in this thread has called anyone else an extremist because they want basic human rights and decency for all (After all, I'd have thought just about everyone wants decency for all!). Can you indicate in which post someone has called someone else an extremist for that reason?

the real extremists are those extremists of greed who want to make a profit out of what should be a basic human right..

And it appears that in this sentence you are calling anyone who wants to earn a living by running a business and making a profit an extremist. Surely you can see how daft that is? Usually, the word extremist means, either someone who wants to impose their worldview by means of violence, or someone whose views are very far from the general consensus and are somewhat unpleasant in some way.

everything from providing public toilets to decent care for the elderly. We are supposedly a civilised society so we provide the services - and none of this "we" can't afford it nonsense.

Well, toilets do have to be paid for somehow. Someone has to build them and maintain them. Someone has to clean them. Someone has to supply the loo roll etc. and refill it as required. Those people all need to be paid for their work. Where do you think the money to pay them should come from?

 

[kristiang85]

They should be free if you have a rail ticket; in the future when most are on contactless cards that will be quite easy to arrange.

 

[Clip]

No not at all - am fed up of people calling anyone who wants basic human rights and decency for all as extremists... the real extremists are those extremists of greed who want to make a profit out of what should be a basic human right.. everything from providing public toilets to decent care for the elderly. We are supposedly a civilised society so we provide the services - and none of this "we" can't afford it nonsense.

There are no toilets on the Piccadilly line platforms and ironically the South African gentlemen downed a bottle of Glenfiddich, collapsed and had to be removed from the train at Kings Cross.

Who called you an extremist? I missed that bit

 

[route101]

As far east as Pakistan, but mainly Saudi + Qatar & Beirut / Happy days
Used to park up in Damascus beside the Hejaz railway near the main station

Sounds an adventure . Pakistan , thats far . Any hauliers get to India ?

 

[A Challenge]

Ii can see why they charge.

Guildford charge or use to, if they don't now but Woking never has. Perhaps Woking has never had an issue with toilet users. That surprises me though as I wouldn't have thought Woking would have any more a higher class of passenger than Guildford. It isn't a student town though, if that makes any difference.

Woking is inside the gateline, whereas Guildford is outside I think (even if it's inside you can get in without a ticket)