From Fox News · CJ Womack · · 1m 20s
Mamdani's NYC bathrooms open after 10 minutes
New York City's $4M public bathroom pilot uses 10-minute auto-open doors to tackle restroom shortages
In brief
New York City's $4M public bathroom pilot uses 10-minute auto-open doors to tackle restroom shortages Throne Labs units open after 10 minutes to prevent loitering while addressing NYC's public bathroom shortage Originally reported by Fox News.
New York's bathroom pilot
Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched 17 $4M Throne Labs units across NYC boroughs to address public restroom shortages
10-minute auto-open feature
Stall doors open after 10 minutes with flashing lights and audio alerts in English and Spanish
“The door, your time is up, the door is opening”
User experience
Most users leave within 3.5 minutes with warnings at 5 and 8 minutes before the 10-minute limit
Cost savings
17 units cost about what one traditional public restroom has historically cost in NYC
California pilot
Long Beach and Caltrain already use Throne Labs units with similar 10-minute time limits
User feedback
One Long Beach user requested longer time after nearly being caught inside when time expired
“Please make it more than ten minutes. I was almost embarrassed in front of strangers still using the restroom”
Mayor's stance
Mamdani says NYC has one public toilet for every 8,500 residents and the pilot is a first step toward more units
Health monitoring
Throne units have sensors that monitor cleanliness and potential misuse while maintaining user privacy
Deployment details
Units operate daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and can be accessed via text, QR code, or physical tap cards
The main idea
Throne Labs units open after 10 minutes to prevent loitering while addressing NYC's public bathroom shortage
