Far too public

SIR – Mike Wells (Letters, October 11) praises the American public washroom design for halting the spread of germs. However, what they may gain in cleanliness they most certainly lose in privacy.

On a family road trip this summer, we consistently experienced doors so short that the seated occupant was visible from the kneecaps down. Since the doors opened outwards, there was a half-inch gap down the hinge side.

Not a comfortable experience for the modest Briton abroad. Frances Williams Swindon, Wiltshire