SF Could Get More 24/7 Bathrooms on the Streets
With possible cuts to a program providing 24 public bathrooms in San Francisco, Supervisor Matt Haney on Friday proposed a plan to fund the program and save it from being eliminated.
The city’s Pit Stop program offers public bathrooms for anyone to use, with most locations in the city’s downtown areas.
In 2019, the Pit Stop program, operated by the Department of Public Works, moved to make 3 of its 25 locations accessible for 24 hours a day under a pilot program. Then, during the pandemic, Pit Stops expanded to a total of 62 locations, with 36 of them being 24 hours.
Read More: San Francisco could get more 24/7 public bathrooms after years of struggling with poop on streets – SF Chronicle
According to Haney, the proposed budget for the upcoming year by Mayor London Breed would drastically reduce funding for the program, reducing the number of Pit Stop locations back to 25, and no 24-hour locations.
Haney, whose district includes the Tenderloin and South of Market, has been a proponent for 24-hour bathroom access, which he said is essential to keeping streets clean and to providing people with dignity.
“We absolutely cannot go backwards and reduce access to public bathrooms,” Haney said in a statement. “Public bathrooms, open and accessible, when people need them are essential for a clean, safe and healthy city. If we want clean and healthy streets, if we want business and tourism to return, if we want to honor the basic human needs of our workers, visitors, and residents both housed and unhoused, we need to maintain funding for Pit Stops.”
Haney, who chairs the city’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, said he’s committed to adding a minimum of $3.3 million to the Public Works budget for the upcoming year in order to restore at least 5 24-hours bathrooms and add 5 additional bathrooms.
“We need 24hr restrooms because access to a public bathroom is essential. We deserve to be treated with dignity,” said Cheryl Shanks with the Tenderloin People’s Congress, an organization advocating for the 24-hour bathroom access.
San Francisco “Pit Stop” Locations And Hours
Highlighted Locations Are Temporary Public Toilets Available For The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency
Bayview-Hunters Point
- Mendell Plaza – Open 24 hours
- 2111 Jennings St. – Open 24 hours
Castro
- Market and Castro streets (JCDecaux) – Open 24 hours
- Market and Church streets (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
Civic Center
Grove and Larkin streets (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
The Embarcadero
Embarcadero Plaza (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
Fillmore
Fillmore St. and Turk St. – Daily – 7am – 7pm
Haight
- Stanyan and Waller streets (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
- Buena Vista Ave. and Haight St. – Mon-Fri – 11:30am to 6:30pm
Lower Polk
Myrtle and Larkin streets (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
Mid-Market
- Hallidie Plaza (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
- U.N. Plaza (JCDecaux) – Open 24 hours
- U.N. Plaza (near fountain) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
Mission
- 16th and Capp streets – Mon-Fri – 11am to 6pm
- 16th and Mission streets (JCDecaux) – Open 24 hours
- 18th and Mission streets – Mon-Fri – 12pm to 7pm
- 24th and Mission streets (JCDecaux) – Open 24 Hours
- 1645 Bryant St. – Daily – 8am to 8pm
- 3100 26th St. – Daily – 7am to 7pm
- Cesar Chavez and South Van Ness Ave. – Daily – 7am to 7pm
- SFGH, near SE corner of Building 25 – Daily – 6am to 8pm
- SFGH, near SE corner of Building 80/90 – Daily – 6am to 8pm
- 885 Potrero Ave. – Mon-Fri – 7am – 2:30pm
- 344 14th St. – Daily – 7am – 7pm
North Beach
Washington Square at Union St. (JCDecaux) – Daily – 7am to 7pm
Ocean Beach
Great Highway near Beach Chalet – Mon-Fri – 12pm to 7pm
Outer Sunset
- Judah and La Playa streets (Rec Park) – Daily – 8am to 8pm
SoMa
- 6th and Jessie streets – Open 24 hours
- Victoria Manalo Draves Park (Rec Park) – Daily – 8am to 8pm
Tenderloin
- Turk and Hyde streets – Open 24 hours
- Eddy and Jones streets (JCDecaux) – Open 24 hours
- 388 Ellis St. – Open 24 hours
- Eddy and Larkin streets – Open 24 hours
- 133 Golden Gate Ave. – Open 24 hours
- 474 O’Farrell St. – Open 24 hours
- 180 Jones St. – Open 24 hours
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