What a relief! New York City releases map of public bathrooms titled ‘Ur in Luck’
Unable to hold it in any longer, New York City has finally released a Google Map that shows the locations of its public restrooms.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the development as part of the city’s new “Ur in Luck” program on Monday. The map, which will be updated biannually and includes restrooms operated by the Parks Department, Department of Transportation, MTA, privately owned public spaces and the library systems. Those in the city can activate the map layer on their phones to find the restrooms.
“Part of making New York City a more livable city is tackling the little things — the things we don’t think about until we need them,” Adams said . “Access to public restrooms is high on that list, maybe even number one or two.”
Teddy Siegel, New York City’s bathroom influencer and founder of restroom map Got2GoNYC, spoke at a news conference alongside Adams. She said she created her map in July of 2021 after nearly having an accident in Times Square.
“I am so excited that the city is taking action to tackle this crisis by renovating and building bathrooms throughout the city as well as the new Google Maps layer,” she said. “It is my hope that one day New York City will be a place where everybody has access to a safe and sanitary toilet.”
As part of the “Ur in Luck” program, the city will build 46 new restrooms and renovate 36 more over the next five years. The bathrooms will be across all five boroughs. There are currently 1,000 public restrooms available in the city.
Ten of the new bathrooms are slated to be in the Bronx, 23 in Brooklyn, 28 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens and seven on Staten Island.
“The new and renovated bathrooms we’ll deliver over the next five years will make it easier for New Yorkers to embrace the best parts of this city: our shared outdoors spaces,” Mayor Adams continued.
Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi touched on the difficulties members of the public face when trying to find a public bathroom in a short time frame.
“Everyone — seniors, parents with kids, anyone enjoying the day outdoors, needs access to a public bathroom without having to buy anything or beg for a code. Public bathrooms are critical infrastructure for New York City, where people are always out and about.”
In another phase of the bathroom plan, the city is creating a joint task force to help fast-track approvals for 14 self-cleaning automatic public toilets on city sidewalks and plazas.
In the last five months, officials have opened seven new public bathrooms across the city in the following locations:
Starlight Park, Bronx
Wyckoff House Park, Brooklyn
Frederick Johnson Playground, Manhattan
Highbridge Park Adventure Playground, Manhattan
Maspeth Park, Queens
Bronx Point/Mill Pond Park, Bronx
