@americandaily99: NYC’s New Public Bathrooms Have a 10-Minute Limit—Then the Door Opens New York City is adding 17 public bathrooms through a $4 million pilot program. But one feature is drawing questions: what happens when your time runs out. The restrooms have running water, climate control, baby changing tables, and free sanitary pads. Users can unlock them through a text message, QR code, app, or tap card. Once inside, they have 10 minutes. As the limit approaches, a speaker warns that time is running low. When it expires, an announcement in English and Spanish says the door is opening—then the automated door slides open. That has prompted online concerns about privacy and whether everyone can finish within the limit. The program’s overall budget works out to roughly $235,000 per restroom. That figure reflects the pilot’s total cost divided among 17 facilities, rather than an identified purchase price for each toilet. Four facilities began operating earlier in the week, with the rest expected in the coming months. They will open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. One early Brooklyn user, school administrator Supreena Bacon, praised the experience. “It’s clean. It’s modern,” she told Gothamist. “You don’t have to touch anything.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the goal is to give New Yorkers reliable access to clean, safe bathrooms when they need them. The city has around 1,100 public restrooms for more than eight million people. These new facilities add options—but their automatic opening rule raises a practical question for anyone who needs extra time. Would the 10-minute limit make you hesitate to use one? #NewYorkCity #PublicBathrooms #NYC #CityServices #ZohranMamdani

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Sunday 20 September 2026 14:00:00 GMT