This episode explores the history and disappearance of public pay toilets in the United States, intertwining a personal anecdote with broader societal shifts. The narrative begins with Teddy Siegel, a "public toilet influencer," who created a crowdsourced map highlighting accessible restrooms, highlighting the current lack of readily available public restrooms. Against this backdrop, the podcast delves into the history of pay toilets, which were prevalent in the mid-20th century, becoming a target of activism in the 1960s and 70s. More significantly, the story follows the Gessel brothers' campaign, "The Committee to End Pay Toilets in America," which successfully lobbied for their removal. However, this seemingly positive outcome led to an unintended consequence: the decline of free public restrooms due to lack of funding and maintenance. The discussion then pivots to the current state of public restrooms, highlighting the regulatory failures and the need for a balanced approach combining market incentives and government intervention. Ultimately, the episode reveals the complex interplay between social movements, economic forces, and public policy in shaping even the most basic aspects of urban life, leaving the listener to contemplate the future of public restroom access.
