NYC public bathroom bill goes to city council hearing
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- If you've lived in the city long enough you know the struggle of planning your day around a lack of public restrooms.
Or maybe you know the quiet panic that sets in as you try to find the one place that will take pity on you.
Two local lawmakers are aiming to pass legislation to alleviate that pressure.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Rita Joseph held a rally Tuesday afternoon to promote their bill.
"There are zip codes in New York City today that have zero functioning and open public bathrooms," Levine said. "Most of the bathrooms that we have are in parks."
TikTok influencer Teddy Siegel of Got2GoNYC was also at City Hall for the rally.
Siegel gained national attention for her social media advocacy for increasing public restrooms as an issue of public equity.
The bill would require the city to publish a report on locations for where public restrooms should go in every zip code across all five boroughs.
It would also require the Department of Transportation and Parks Department to consult with community boards about building new bathroom locations.
The agencies would have a year to identify and budget for the bills before presenting their findings to the mayor and City Council.
"It's an issue of equity, public health, sanitation, and basic human rights," Joseph said.
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