Some of us have an emergency restroom map of Chicago memorized. For example, the basement of Macy’s is a good bet if you’re in a pinch in the Loop. Chicago parks and libraries also offer a spot to stop when nature calls, and Ogilvie has serviceable restrooms too.

These kinds of lists are essential, especially if you’re pregnant or have young children. Somebody always has to go.

But public bathrooms outside parks and libraries are few and far between, unlike in many major cities in Europe where you can get access to a public toilet for a small fee. A 2021 Chicago Tribune investigation found that fewer than 500 buildings within Chicago’s city limits have free, publicly operated restrooms accessible to the public.

That’s changing come 2026. Chicago’s first free, “self-cleaning” public restroom will be installed in the 1st Ward next year. The unit — provided under the city’s existing contract with JCDecaux, the same company that operates Chicago’s bus shelters — will be free to use. Ald. Daniel La Spata plans to use 2026 ward funds to cover installation costs such as water and sewer connections. He has not confirmed the facility’s exact location, though he said JCDecaux will maintain the facility at no cost to the city.

We wish him well and understand his desire to provide facilities for the most basic of human needs. That said, it should run efficiently, be kept clean — and it should be safe. 

As anyone who’s used a park restroom or one of the bathrooms at Metra stations knows, these end up becoming options of last resort and are not without safety risks.

We worry the same challenges will apply in this case.

While public bathrooms have been deployed effectively in some places, they aren’t immune to issues such as vandalism, misuse and higher-than-anticipated maintenance demands. 

For example, JCDecaux’s public toilets in San Francisco faced recurring issues in the 1990s and early 2000s such as drug use and prostitution inside units, hypodermic needles left on floors, and pervasive sanitation failures despite automatic cleaning systems. Back then, maintenance demands and misuse led city officials to shut some units overnight and acknowledge that the toilets were “targets of vandalism and maintaining them is more complicated than the French (model).” We imagine those same risks are present today.

All of this to say: We applaud La Spata’s noble intentions and know he’s been pushing for this for a while, so to speak. But we’re skeptical. 

If this new facility is not a place you’d tell a friend to go in an emergency, it won’t be worth the investment.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/28/bathroom-public-la-spata-toilet-san-francisco/