# 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
- Title: Mamdani's NYC bathrooms open after 10 minutes · Fox News
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: zohran mamdani, nyc, throne labs, public bathrooms, 10 minute rule, municipal pilot, ada accessible, loitering prevention, bathroom shortage, queens, bronx, manhattan
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/media/mamdanis-new-4m-nyc-public-bathrooms-auto-open-doors-after-10-minutes
- Author: CJ Womack
- Published: 2026-09-17T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: zohran mamdani, nyc, throne labs, public bathrooms, 10 minute rule, municipal pilot, ada accessible, loitering prevention, bathroom shortage, queens, bronx, manhattan
## 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
## Key takeaway

Throne Labs units open after 10 minutes to prevent loitering while addressing NYC's public bathroom shortage