Pay Toilets Are Illegal in Much of the U.S. They Shouldn't Be.

Today is World Toilet Day, a reminder of the shameful reality that billions of people lack access to safe toilets and clean water. But the failures of sanitation are not confined to the developing world. In cities around the United States, groups from pregnant women to taxi drivers and people experiencing homelessness suffer from the lack of public restrooms. One solution common in European cities—the pay toilet, which charges a small fee for use—is largely absent from the American landscape, and in fact, is banned in many cities and states.

Initially, pay-toilet bans were a triumph over sexism. But in light of advances in restroom design and the neglect of sanitation under the status quo, local governments in the U.S. should consider lifting pay-toilet bans.