Relief line (Toilet charges to be scrapped at NR-managed stations next year)

Bletchleyite · 1 Apr 2019

Steve Harris said:
I doubt that very much. Drug taking/dealing and homeless people dossing down in a disabled toilet for the night I can very much believe though.

The toilets are probably the last vestige of "invisible" antisocial behaviour because of the understandable lack of CCTV.

I wonder will someone at some point develop a form of electronic CCTV similar to the way the airport body scanners show you an outline with the issue marked rather than a naked picture of a person? A system that could identify suspicious movements, or even someone collapsed on the floor, based on how long they have been in a particular location or their body position? That could be of value while not infringing privacy so much.

The antisocial behaviour issue is a real concern to me - the toilets at Charing Cross feel really dangerous now they are free with the number of dodgy looking characters you see in them.

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cactustwirly · 1 Apr 2019

Qwerty133 said:
I really don't see the point at stations without ticket barriers like Sheffield.
Another that still charges as far as I know are the ones at Leicester on the corridor between the concourse and the lifts although I imagine they collect very little in terms of revenue as most passengers don't know they exist.

The ones on the platforms are free!

Bletchleyite · 1 Apr 2019

cactustwirly said:
The ones on the platforms are free!

That isn't a bad solution, really. Another, at stations where having them on the platforms isn't workable (Euston, for instance), would be to have a barcode scanner on one turnstile so paying passengers could scan their ticket to get in, but others couldn't.

MarkyT · 1 Apr 2019

When I worked at Waterloo, it was noticeable the area around Station Approach (where the taxis queue) often stank of urine. That may have been partly due to down and outs but I also suspect some late night passengers facing fairly long journeys on toiletless inner suburban trains were taking advantage of the relatively dark and secluded area to quickly relieve themselves against the wall rather than pay to use the station facilities. If there are no toilets on trains in an area I think there must be free facilities on key stations to prevent this kind of behaviour either on the station or in the surrounding streets, but the toilets could be behind barrier lines where these exist, although on the large numbers of narrow platforms at Waterloo that is not really practical.

theironroad · 1 Apr 2019

MarkyT said:
When I worked at Waterloo, it was noticeable the area around Station Approach (where the taxis queue) often stank of urine. That may have been partly due to down and outs but I also suspect some late night passengers facing fairly long journeys on toiletless inner suburban trains were taking advantage of the relatively dark and secluded area to quickly relieve themselves against the wall rather than pay to use the station facilities. If there are no toilets on trains in an area I think there must be free facilities on key stations to prevent this kind of behaviour either on the station or in the surrounding streets, but the toilets could be behind barrier lines where these exist, although on the large numbers of narrow platforms at Waterloo that is not really practical.

Considering Waterloo is supposed to be the busiest station in the country for passengers, the toilet facilities are pretty dire. (1 set opposite the ex Eurostar) They need to have another set of toilets at the 1-5 platform end of the cpncourse as the Waterloo rd entrance is very busy too.

swt_passenger · 1 Apr 2019

theironroad said:
Considering Waterloo is supposed to be the busiest station in the country for passengers, the toilet facilities are pretty dire. (1 set opposite the ex Eurostar) They need to have another set of toilets at the 1-5 platform end of the cpncourse as the Waterloo rd entrance is very busy too.

There’s another new set that’s been built at the ‘Orchestra Pit’ level under the former international platforms. Don’t know if they opened yet, but their location is discussed in the Waterloo thread in the infrastructure forum...

Karl · 1 Apr 2019

Oops sorry for creating a new thread. Here's my response to today's news. (Hopefully not an April Fools joke)

"At last we can have a free pee at railway stations.

No more clambering over the barriers at Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Victoria when you've no change in your pocket.

Thank you NR, TOCs or British Rail

"

fowler9 · 1 Apr 2019

Karl said:
Oops sorry for creating a new thread. Here's my response to today's news. (Hopefully not an April Fools joke)

"At last we can have a free pee at railway stations.

No more clambering over the barriers at Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Victoria when you've no change in your pocket.

Thank you NR, TOCs or British Rail "

Lime Street has been free for a while. I imagine that Network Rail had a number of complaints from Wetherspoons which has an entrance right next to the toilets after many people used the toilets in the pub to pee for free. I know it's what I used to do.

route101 · 1 Apr 2019

Edinburgh toilets were free at times recently though last time they were not .
What stations such as Glasgow Queen ST ? Scotrail operated though

johntea · 1 Apr 2019

Leeds has been free for a few weeks now, often monitored by a toilet attendant sat outside. A very positive move, it always baffles me how McDonalds in the station got away with not providing toilet facilities for eat in customers!

LordFlashheart · 2 Apr 2019

Not free at Marylebone, Chiltern continue to try and extract more money from their long suffering passengers. No intention to be made free unfortunately

STEVIEBOY1 · 2 Apr 2019

theironroad said:
Considering Waterloo is supposed to be the busiest station in the country for passengers, the toilet facilities are pretty dire. (1 set opposite the ex Eurostar) They need to have another set of toilets at the 1-5 platform end of the cpncourse as the Waterloo rd entrance is very busy too.

Years ago, they did also have loos opposite platforms 1-5, then it was changed into a French Type Wine Bar/Bistro. (Piaf's I think.)

Mag_seven · 2 Apr 2019

STEVIEBOY1 said:
Years ago, they did also have loos opposite platforms 1-5, then it was changed into a French Type Wine Bar/Bistro. (Piaf's I think.)

I don't think I'd be happy eating/drinking in an establishment that was once a public toilet! o_O

Dr_Intoxicated · 2 Apr 2019

Many former public conveniences have been converted to restaurants.

STEVIEBOY1 · 2 Apr 2019

Mag_seven said:
I don't think I'd be happy eating/drinking in an establishment that was once a public toilet!

Infact, certainly one and maybe both of the old gents at Waterloo were not only public toilets, but also had men barbers there as well, in a slightly separated room, but you still had the miasma of the adjacent facilities!!

matt_world2004 · 2 Apr 2019

MarkyT said:
When I worked at Waterloo, it was noticeable the area around Station Approach (where the taxis queue) often stank of urine. That may have been partly due to down and outs but I also suspect some late night passengers facing fairly long journeys on toiletless inner suburban trains were taking advantage of the relatively dark and secluded area to quickly relieve themselves against the wall rather than pay to use the station facilities. If there are no toilets on trains in an area I think there must be free facilities on key stations to prevent this kind of behaviour either on the station or in the surrounding streets, but the toilets could be behind barrier lines where these exist, although on the large numbers of narrow platforms at Waterloo that is not really practical.

Maybe it was the black cab drivers I can imagine they don't have a lot of places to pee.

STEVIEBOY1 · 2 Apr 2019

matt_world2004 said:
Maybe it was the black cab drivers I can imagine they don't have a lot of places to pee.

I hope not. There used to be and still are a few, of those little shed like buildings around London that were cabby cafes and presumably contained a loo too. (There was one of these establishments shown in Carry on Cabby.)

matt_world2004 · 2 Apr 2019

STEVIEBOY1 said:
I hope not. There used to be and still are a few, of those little shed like buildings around London that were cabby cafes and presumably contained a loo too. (There was one of these establishments shown in Carry on Cabby.)

I think those establishments have gone down to about 6 in the whole of Greater London which isn't a lot

STEVIEBOY1 · 3 Apr 2019

matt_world2004 said:
I think those establishments have gone down to about 6 in the whole of Greater London which isn't a lot

That is a shame.

Mikey C · 3 Apr 2019

matt_world2004 said:
I think those establishments have gone down to about 6 in the whole of Greater London which isn't a lot

"It's a bloody disgrace guv, only 6 places for us cabbies to have a pee. I blame those politicians in Westminster, and don't talk to me that Sadiq Khan. If I was Prime Minister..."

trainophile · 18 Apr 2019

Karl said:
Oops sorry for creating a new thread. Here's my response to today's news. (Hopefully not an April Fools joke)

"At last we can have a free pee at railway stations.

No more clambering over the barriers at Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Victoria when you've no change in your pocket.

Thank you NR, TOCs or British Rail "

In case there's any remaining doubt, Manchester Victoria toilets were free when I called there today. Turnstiles gone

.

Howardh · 18 Apr 2019

Mag_seven said:
I don't think I'd be happy eating/drinking in an establishment that was once a public toilet!

You need to pop down to The Temple in Manchester for a (good but expensive) pint!

theblackwatch · 18 Apr 2019

STEVIEBOY1 said:
Infact, certainly one and maybe both of the old gents at Waterloo were not only public toilets, but also had men barbers there as well, in a slightly separated room, but you still had the miasma of the adjacent facilities!!

I'm sure the downstairs loos at Manchester Piccadilly were like that too, and - if my memory is right - in latter years, the urinals moved into the area that used to be the barbers! (I'd guess they closed in the mid to late-90s)

Bletchleyite · 21 Apr 2019

theblackwatch said:
I'm sure the downstairs loos at Manchester Piccadilly were like that too, and - if my memory is right - in latter years, the urinals moved into the area that used to be the barbers! (I'd guess they closed in the mid to late-90s)

They were indeed. They originally (in the 1960s station) had a curious variant of the "urinal problem" in that there was an island containing them on both sides, meaning you could if unlucky end up looking another user in the eye while having a wee!

londonbridge · 21 Apr 2019

johntea said:
A very positive move, it always baffles me how McDonalds in the station got away with not providing toilet facilities for eat in customers!

I'm reminded of an incident in a Mcdonalds (no idea which branch) where a bloke went to use the toilet and, on finding it locked, asked to be let in. The staff member asked to see his receipt. Bloke said he didn't have one as he hadn't yet ordered anything and wanted to wash his hands before eating. Staff member said that toilets were for customers only. Bloke said that he was a customer and repeated that he wanted to wash his hands, staff member repeated the line that toilets were for customers only and refused to unlock it. Bloke asked for the manager, I don't know what the eventual outcome was.

Mind you, I don't know if it's been rolled out to all branches but the last few times I've been in a McDonalds it's order, get a receipt with your order number, then collect it when they shout out your number, so it could work by ordering your food and then using the loo before returning to the counter to pick up your food, that way they could open the loo for genuine customers whilst preventing undesireables from wandering in off the street to use it.

DennisM · 21 Apr 2019

The toilet facilities at Clapham Junction are clearly inadequate to cope with demand now that they have become free, just 2 urinals and 2 cubicles. Ive seen women queuing at temporary events etc but wouldn’t expect to have to queue for the gents at a railway station during a quiet time of the day. As far as I’m aware these are the only toilets (next to the entrance from the road to the footbridge)

STEVIEBOY1 · 22 Apr 2019

DennisM said:
The toilet facilities at Clapham Junction are clearly inadequate to cope with demand now that they have become free, just 2 urinals and 2 cubicles. Ive seen women queuing at temporary events etc but wouldn’t expect to have to queue for the gents at a railway station during a quiet time of the day. As far as I’m aware these are the only toilets (next to the entrance from the road to the footbridge)

There were loos in the subway towards the St. John's Rd exit, about platform 14 ish, not sure if there are there now though.

Kite159 · 22 Apr 2019

STEVIEBOY1 said:
There were loos in the subway towards the St. John's Rd exit, about platform 14 ish, not sure if there are there now though.

I think those were removed a few years ago

Relief line (Toilet charges to be scrapped at NR-managed stations next year)

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