Seniors group rails against lack of loos for SkyTrain users

‘Beyond short-sighted’ to build stations without public toilets, committee says

Where to go when you’re on the go?

SkyTrain users in need of a washroom mid-journey have limited options — a coffee shop, fast-food joint or the self-cleaning toilet near Main Street are some of the options suggested in a Reddit post on the subject — but some riders want that to change.

The City of Vancouver’s Seniors Advisory Committee is asking staff to encourage TransLink to install accessible public washrooms at all new stations, including those on the planned Millennium Line Broadway Extension.

“It’s beyond short-sighted not to put them in,” committee chair Colleen McGuinness said Thursday. “Loneliness and isolation are a concern for seniors, and a lack of public washrooms on transit routes is a factor in that.”

Fellow committee member Eddy Elmer agreed, adding “seniors are often afraid to leave their home because they aren’t sure there will be a toilet when and where they need it.”

TransLink isn’t oblivious to the concerns. It’s an issue that’s come up many times over the years, through both official channels (such as the seniors committee) and unofficial ones (like Twitter), said spokesperson Chris Bryan. The recently upgraded SkyTrain stations on the Expo line have “roughed-in space” for future washrooms, including pipes and plumbing “in the hope that we will be able to accommodate them in the future,” he said.

The transit authority is in the middle of a policy review and plans to present a report on the issue to the TransLink board next year.

Part of the work includes looking at how other cities manage the downsides of providing public washrooms, which come with a high cost, as well as security and sanitation issues. “If we do it, we want to do it right,” said Bryan.

Last year, several members of the Raging Grannies, an activist organization, took the SkyTrain into Vancouver to attend a protest. Along the way, they found a new cause.

“They made a long trip and when they arrived, they couldn’t find a bathroom,” recalled Vancouver Raging Grannies member Marge Johnson. The group wrote and sang a protest song about the issue in the Waterfront Station.

“We didn’t really receive a response,” she said.

McGuinness’ committee is hoping other special-interest groups will join them in asking the city to push the issue in discussions about the SkyTrain extension. They are particularly concerned as the new line will provide access to Vancouver General Hospital and the medical offices nearby.

“If you’re bringing people into that area, you have a responsibility to them,” she said.

According to a 2011 article on TransLink’s The Buzzer blog, Portland and Calgary don’t provide public washrooms on transit, while Edmonton, Toronto and Paris have them at some stations.

The B.C. seniors advocate was unavailable Thursday to comment.

Seniors are often afraid to leave their home because they aren’t sure there will be a toilet when and where they need it.