After 20 years, BART will reopen restrooms at Powell and 19th Street stations

BUT ARE THEY SURE ITS SAFE!!!!!!! jk...... man 9/​11 ruined us

TL:DR

Ten restrooms at underground stations in the BART system have been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the recommendation of federal transit and security officials.

A historical event will occur next February on Powell and 19th, San Francisco's transit riders finally earn their right to piss and shit, and not forced to have to hold it in until they get home.

The Powell station will have a gated grate entrance while the 19th Street station will have a semi-transparent door. Both will have hand-washing basins outside the restrooms.

For the first three months, they’ll also have attendants stationed outside.

Based on feedback from users of the two renovated sets of restrooms, BART hopes to reopen the Lake Merritt and Montgomery stations by next summer. Restrooms at the Embarcadero and Downtown Berkeley would follow in 2023; 12th Street and Civic Center in 2024; 16th Street/​Mission in 2025 and 24th Street Mission in 2026.

Slowly and surely, transit riders, the right to be able to piss and to shit.

Article

BART riders who’ve waited 20 years to use the restrooms at the Powell and 19th Street stations will finally get their chance in February.

Robert Powers, the transit system’s general manager, announced the long-awaited reopening on Tuesday. BART directors will get a progress report on the reopening of restrooms throughout the system at their Thursday meeting.

Ten restrooms at underground stations in the BART system have been closed since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the recommendation of federal transit and security officials. Restrooms in underground stations that shared ventilation systems with subway platforms were considered at elevated risk of terrorist attacks. BART officials say they also need security enhancements and modernization, including access improvements.

The Powell Street station in downtown San Francisco and 19th Street station in uptown Oakland have been remodeled as test projects for redesigning and reopening the rest of the system’s locked restrooms. The Powell station will have a gated grate entrance while the 19th Street station will have a semi-transparent door. Both will have hand-washing basins outside the restrooms.

For the first three months, they’ll also have attendants stationed outside.

“Our goal for this round of restroom reopenings is to learn lessons and guide additional openings,” Powers said in a statement. “We will actively engage with the BART Accessibility Task Force as well as design consultants to ensure we are upgrading these restrooms to make them safe, clean, and available to all.”

The remaining eight sets of restrooms will be rehabilitated and reopened over the next five years at a cumulative cost of $14 million.

Based on feedback from users of the two renovated sets of restrooms, BART hopes to reopen the Lake Merritt and Montgomery stations by next summer. Restrooms at the Embarcadero and Downtown Berkeley would follow in 2023; 12th Street and Civic Center in 2024; 16th Street/​Mission in 2025 and 24th Street Mission in 2026.

This’ll be a nice heroin den in 1 second flat

I hope the cleaners just use a high powered hose. No workers should have to walk around in there.

Have you been to the bathroom at the library or the Westfield mall? Cause I suspect this is what it will devolve to.

I'm not going to poop there, and no one can make me!

Need more public bathrooms everywhere so these don't go to shit right away

From the "well, what's the harm, how could it be any worse?" file.