News / Public Toilets
New edition of neighbourhood’s toilet map now available
The seventh edition of a toilet map is now available to help people find public toilets in Bedminster.
First printed in 2008, the Toilet Map of Bedminster was created by Southville resident Ben Barker, following a discussion at the Bedminster Older People’s Forum which found that many people felt “imprisoned in their homes” due to a lack of public toilets available for use when they were outdoors.
“They need frequent access to a toilet and cannot be sure of finding one when they are out”, the map’s latest version explains.
The new Toilet Map of Bedminster features 23 places across the neighbourhood that allow free access to their toilets without the need to purchase anything
Commissioned by Let’s Walk Bedminster, with design and printing costs met via the council’s Active Travel Community Fund, the map is created to address “a widespread by invisible disability”.
When writing for the Centre for Ageing Better years ago, Ben Barker said: “You need a certain amount of confidence to walk into a venue and ask to use the toilets without feeling like you have to buy something.
“The map is for people who don’t have that confidence. It’s ‘permission to pee’, basically.”
Alongside Let’s Walk Bedminster, the creation of the map’s latest edition was supported by local groups Action Greater Bedminster and BS3 Community, who are also looking for other ways to make the area more accessible for all people.
Tobacco Factory’s cafe and bar is one of the many venues on North Street that feature on the Toilet Map of Bedminster
23 venues including restaurants, cafes and shops are listed on the map, with all of them offering their loos for public use. While most toilets on the app are accessible to most people the map clarifies, that circumstances of some people might mean that they are not be able to use some of the map’s toilets.
Explaining the agreement with the business owners, the map reads: “They have agreed that, when they are open, people can use their toilets even if they don’t buy a cup of tea, glass of beer, tin of beans, etc.
“After all, if they are not customers today, they may be tomorrow, and they may also be helping the business next door.”
All photos: Karen Johnson
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