Proposal to Increase Number of Toilets in Public Places Introduced in Chicago
A proposal to increase the number of toilets required in women’s restrooms throughout Chicago was announced.
The March 8, 2001, issue of the Chicago Tribune announced the introduction of a proposal to increase the number of toilets required in women’s restrooms at new or substantially rehabilitated arenas, large restaurants, nightclubs, theaters, malls, churches and similar “public places of assembly” throughout the city. Several members of the Chicago chapter of the American Society of Professional Engineers (ASPE) were involved with the committee that wrote the proposed revisions, which were partially based on society-sponsored studies reviewing the current standards. While cities across the country have already adopted and put into effect more restrictive plumbing provisions such as those proposed, Chicago is just now “getting up to speed,” according to one industry insider.
In practical terms, the new proposal means that women waiting in line in a venue that otherwise would have had 10 commodes under the current plumbing code might have their wait cut in half in a place that would have 20 toilets under the new measure.