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

[Peter Mugridge]

That is probably more people squatting on them, either because they are obsessive about cleanliness or because their culture squats rather than sits to use the toilet.

I do not understand why squatting means they have to stand on them; I would have thought they could just do the "hovering" thing that someone else mentioned?

 

[bnm]

Why announce now that charging stops sometime next year? Why not stop charging tomorrow? It's just a case of setting barriers to free entry mode.

Perhaps there are contractual obligations with the cleaning/maintenance companies that Network Rail employ. These contracts may include revenue share from the turnstile 'take'.

 

[hassaanhc]

The one station I'm more than happy to pay to use the toilets in is King's Cross (which are 30p). Compared to the toilets over at nearby St Pancras, where they are free, they are a lot cleaner as a whole. I grimace at the idea of using the toilets at St Pancras after seeing how they get not long into the day.

Waterloo's ones (which charge 30p) are pretty grim.

The toilets at Edinburgh Castle also have these signs up. Makes me wonder if there are other locations in the UK, including stations, that have such signs in place.

I'm sure I remember seeing them inside Metroline's bus garage in Holloway.

Washing feet before praying is a Muslim thing, but the Swedish embassy isn't quite where I'd expect demand for that to be high.

I'm surprised some Muslims actually get ready for their prayers in a public toilet where they have no idea about the cleanliness of the facilities (a lot of Muslims can be very obsessive about things like that).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not much use if one hasn't got a contactless card!

Allowing payment by contactless doesn't exclude allowing payment by cash!

 

[alexl92]

Leeds’ toilets outside of the barriers charge, inside don’t. Both are utterly vile every time I go in. They need completely refurbishing.

I don’t think it’s fair to charge for a basic human right at all - what if someone is hit with the need to go (due to medical condition or even something like food poinsoning) and hasn’t got change? Many disabled loos require a radar key so that isn’t an option either.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I can't see why so much is made of differentiation between passengers and non-passengers. Using a toilet is not something you do for the hell of it, "because it's there" - you use it because you need to relieve yourself. Thus why should it matter if a non-passenger wishes to avail themselves of the facilities?

It bugs me when cafes have signs on the door saying "toilets for customer use only". If you have a small child with you who is desperate, and there's no public loos nearby, you would have to buy something just to make use of the toilet. I know there are costs - cleaning, loo roll etc., but this is the 21st century and maybe we should be more accommodating.

I've had worse. I went into a pub in Woburn and asked what I had to buy to use the toilet, and he even seemed resentful that I was doing that.

 

[theageofthetra]

I've had worse. I went into a pub in Woburn and asked what I had to buy to use the toilet, and he even seemed resentful that I was doing that.

With that sort of attitude by the staff its not surprising that pubs are closing.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Leeds’ toilets outside of the barriers charge, inside don’t. Both are utterly vile every time I go in. They need completely refurbishing.

They cannot possibly be anywhere near as bad as the ones that were located in the now closed subway at that station...

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I haven't noticed any problems since Birmingham New Street toilets became free, and it saves a lot of hassle making sure you have change before starting your journey. At Lime Street sometimes the change machine is out of order, so people have to go to Boots and buy something - unless they know about the Wetherspoons alternative! Even a token 10p is frustrating if you don't happen to have any small change. I would rather they put 5p on the cost of every ticket and ensured provision of free toilets at all railway stations, although I know hell will freeze over before some rural ones achieve such a luxury!

I believe Glasgow Central charge 50p, for a while which seems excessive. Hope Scottish stations are included and not just English facilities.

I think London Victoria were also 50 pence for a while, until they made them free a year or so ago. (They used to be 30pence.)

It is even more expensive in parts of mainland Europe. (And sometimes with a scary attendant who shouts at you if you don't pay or cause delays, loo paper can be in short supply in some places too.)

 

[xotGD]

Leeds’ toilets outside of the barriers charge, inside don’t. Both are utterly vile every time I go in. They need completely refurbishing.

I don’t think it’s fair to charge for a basic human right at all - what if someone is hit with the need to go (due to medical condition or even something like food poinsoning) and hasn’t got change? Many disabled loos require a radar key so that isn’t an option either.

If you are outside the barrier and don't want to pay then there is the Wetherspoons.

Nicer facilities too.

 

[jon0844]

I think London Victoria were also 50 pence for a while, until they made them free a year or so ago. (They used to be 30pence.)

It is even more expensive in parts of mainland Europe. (And sometimes with a scary attendant who shouts at you if you don't pay or cause delays, loo paper can be in short supply in some places too.)

I figured they were experimenting at Victoria. First to try and increase the fee (I recall at the time, it was argued they cost a lot of money to run). Then at some point we saw lots of stories in the media about the high cost of using toilets, and the closure of many public toilets, restaurants/pubs introducing schemes to allow the use of theirs etc.. so Network Rail opted to try going free.

Given what has happened at Victoria, I am actually quite surprised they've decided to go free elsewhere. But, that said, it is a popular move I am sure and however bad they are, you don't generally go with the intention of spending a lot of time in one.

 

[duffield]

I didn't know there was such a thing. It would definitely be handy.

I still carry a RADAR key which I obtained for my disabled wife before she died. I would never use it normally because I'm not really disabled (although knees, back and bladder are all 'getting a bit old' so to speak). However, I would use it if the disabled toilet was the only one available and the alternatives were getting arrested for peeing in public or wetting myself. Does that make me a bad person? Anyhow, I haven't been in that situation so far...

 

[Qwerty133]

The most pointless ones must be the charging ones hidden down a corridor at Leicester than I didn't realise existed until a few weeks ago despite being a regular user of the station.

 

[yorksrob]

I still carry a RADAR key which I obtained for my disabled wife before she died. I would never use it normally because I'm not really disabled (although knees, back and bladder are all 'getting a bit old' so to speak). However, I would use it if the disabled toilet was the only one available and the alternatives were getting arrested for peeing in public or wetting myself. Does that make me a bad person? Anyhow, I haven't been in that situation so far...

No, it doesn't make you a bad person. I empathise entirely. If decent facilities were available for everyone, you wouldn't be placed in such an ethical conundrum.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

50p+ is far too much, 10-20p is reasonable.

Often when I'm alone on a TPE/EMT train going to Lime Street, it is so full that I daren't go point Percy at the porcelain on the train as my seat wouldn't be there when I got back. So it's a bit annoying having to pay at the station as the free toilet at the top of the Wirral line stairs, while free, is seldom open and seems to be reserved for the disabled (who in any case wouldn't pass it as they would use the lift!)

And I hate it when I go overseas and eat &/or drink in a bar or restaurant and then want a Jimmy Riddle in their own carsie only to find a lady sitting outside by a table demanding a 50 cent/Euro-cent tip. Half the time you don't even have a coin small enough.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you are outside the barrier and don't want to pay then there is the Wetherspoons.

Nicer facilities too.

Spoons are very good at toilets. Generally large cubicles with proper heavyweight doors, and urinals with full height privacy dividers.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

THe kharzis at Bradford Interchange are rank, on one occation I saw the bog seat propped against the wall - someone had obviously stood on the seat and bust the bloody thing. I think Northern should charge for the ones at BDI so that it'd stop idiots from wrecking the facilities for others.

I do recall on one occation a woman who had got off at Highbury Vale on the Nottingham NET and proceeded to leave a coiled one behind - had she managed to hang on and got the next tram to Phoenix Park she would have found a bog there and if that was locked, one at Hucknall. It has to be said that Hucknall, Nottinghamshire doesn't even have any public bogs other than the green thing at the railway / NET station - so if your desperate for a number two or want to use your fire hose then your screwed.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Based on last night- both. Needs something sorting.

Agreed. It's ridiculous that in one of the richest countries in the world, in the year 2018, that homelessness is such a problem.


Oh, is that not what you meant "needs sorting"?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

THe kharzis at Bradford Interchange are rank, on one occation I saw the bog seat propped against the wall - someone had obviously stood on the seat and bust the bloody thing. I think Northern should charge for the ones at BDI so that it'd stop idiots from wrecking the facilities for others.

I do recall on one occation a woman who had got off at Highbury Vale on the Nottingham NET and proceeded to leave a coiled one behind - had she managed to hang on and got the next tram to Phoenix Park she would have found a bog there and if that was locked, one at Hucknall. It has to be said that Hucknall, Nottinghamshire doesn't even have any public bogs other than the green thing at the railway / NET station - so if your desperate for a number two or want to use your fire hose then your screwed.

Are there toilets in the railway part of BDI or do you mean the ones in the undercroft opposite the stairs to the buses? I'm not sure how much scope Northern have to do anything about those:- they'd presumably have to go through the PTE which in West Yorkshire would mean something would actually get done about 2 decades after the plans were made!

The condition of toilets is probably less to do with whether they're charged for or not, and more to do with the general demeanour of the locals. Leeds toilets are charged for on the concourse and are disgusting (the free ones on P12/14 are marginally less horrible, weirdly) whereas the ones at Huddersfield (the P4 ones that is, the ones on P1 make even the ones I used at Prague Masarykovo (surly human-attendant included, cost: 2CZK) seem positively salubrious!) whilst not exactly gold-plated are at least reasonably well looked-after despite being free.

 

[yorksrob]

Are there toilets in the railway part of BDI or do you mean the ones in the undercroft opposite the stairs to the buses? I'm not sure how much scope Northern have to do anything about those:- they'd presumably have to go through the PTE which in West Yorkshire would mean something would actually get done about 2 decades after the plans were made!

The condition of toilets is probably less to do with whether they're charged for or not, and more to do with the general demeanour of the locals. Leeds toilets are charged for on the concourse and are disgusting (the free ones on P12/14 are marginally less horrible, weirdly) whereas the ones at Huddersfield (the P4 ones that is, the ones on P1 make even the ones I used at Prague Masarykovo (surly human-attendant included, cost: 2CZK) seem positively salubrious!) whilst not exactly gold-plated are at least reasonably well looked-after despite being free.

I expect its got a lot to do with throughput of people as well. The ones at Huddersfield are decent and never seem too busy.

The ones on the concourse at Leeds are just too small. Personally I think they should have taken over half of the floor above of the office block and built a proper, large set of toilets as one would get at a London terminal.

 

[AndrewE]

Usually I wait until I get on the train,

That's a high risk strategy. Someone else said with CET now fitted, train bogs are more reliably available... I disagree!

 

[Kite159]

I think Northern should charge for the ones at BDI so that it'd stop idiots from wrecking the facilities for others.

You will still get idiots wrecking the facilities "for a laugh" even with a charge.

The gentleman's toilets at Newcastle (between platforms 4 & 5) were grim last week, out of the 4 cubicles only one was functional (no door, no toilet roll holder, no toilet seat & no lock)

 

[GW43125]

That's a high risk strategy. Someone else said with CET now fitted, train bogs are more reliably available... I disagree!

I used to commute on 458s. I know exactly what you mean!

 

[matt_world2004]

I still carry a RADAR key which I obtained for my disabled wife before she died. I would never use it normally because I'm not really disabled (although knees, back and bladder are all 'getting a bit old' so to speak). However, I would use it if the disabled toilet was the only one available and the alternatives were getting arrested for peeing in public or wetting myself. Does that make me a bad person? Anyhow, I haven't been in that situation so far...

I carry a radar key and I am not disabled, but I work in locations without toilets .

 

[paddington]

Using a toilet is not something you do for the hell of it, "because it's there" - you use it because you need to relieve yourself.

Actually in unfamiliar areas, if I see a toilet with no charge, I will try to use it even if not currently desperate to go, because I can't be sure when I will next come across a toilet.

 

[GW43125]

Actually in unfamiliar areas, if I see a toilet with no charge, I will try to use it even if not currently desperate to go, because I can't be sure when I will next come across a toilet.

That’s a very good point actually. Same with motorway service stations too

 

[Mikey C]

The "Lewisham" incident on Friday, and the stories of people being stuck for hours on 376s with no toilet are perhaps a reminder of the importance of station toilets!

 

[mde]

No, it doesn't make you a bad person. I empathise entirely. If decent facilities were available for everyone, you wouldn't be placed in such an ethical conundrum.

I agree completely. Naturally, the idea of the keys was to help keep these facilities in better nick so that if a disabled person needed to use it they'd be less likely to find it destroyed (see ref so many public toilets); but, not all disabilities are visible (one of mine certainly isn't)… so, there's absolutely no reason to avoid having a key if it'd help.

Pro tip - you can get the 'official' Phlexicare version on Amazon for about £3 (blue handle) - this is made by the people who manufacture the locks.

BTW - at Haymarket there is two Radar key loos - one in the foyer just at the main entrance, the other past the gates (behind the booking office). The latter is usually unlocked.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

THe kharzis at Bradford Interchange are rank, on one occation I saw the bog seat propped against the wall - someone had obviously stood on the seat and bust the bloody thing. I think Northern should charge for the ones at BDI so that it'd stop idiots from wrecking the facilities for others.

I do recall on one occation a woman who had got off at Highbury Vale on the Nottingham NET and proceeded to leave a coiled one behind - had she managed to hang on and got the next tram to Phoenix Park she would have found a bog there and if that was locked, one at Hucknall. It has to be said that Hucknall, Nottinghamshire doesn't even have any public bogs other than the green thing at the railway / NET station - so if your desperate for a number two or want to use your fire hose then your screwed.

Yuk, (Infact I saw something similar on the seat of a 455 in SWTland. I have also seen blokes using the corridor between carriages as a makeshift loo, often on Saturday afternoons, (they were being a bit decent trying to get it into a beer can!!) )

 

[NickBucks]

NR are not doing this out of the goodness of their heart. It is good PR and NR can pass on the charges to the TOC's who use the stations . The charge is then passed on to the passengers. The facilities at NR main line stations are likely to be used by the general public as well as train passengers thus spreading the cost more widely and keeping the fee low. If the facilities are made free but train passengers bear the cost then train passengers are subsidising the general public who get to use the facilities for free.