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Clearly, Mayor Eric Adams has a sense of humor: his latest effort to expand access to public restrooms is a new program aptly (but perhaps not elegantly) dubbed “Ur in Luck.”
Is there an app to find toilets in NYC?
The five-year project includes the installation of 46 new bathrooms all over the city, additions that will complement renovation efforts across 36 existing public restrooms, and the launch of a new Google Maps system that will now finally show users where the nearest toilet is.
According to a press release, anyone will be able to activate the new Google Maps layer, which will be updated twice a year and include restrooms operated by NYC Parks, the Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the city’s library systems and its privately-owned public spaces.
“Part of making New York City a more livable city is tackling the little things—the things we don’t think about until we need them,” said Adams in an official statement. “Access to public restrooms is high on that list, maybe even number one or two. We’ve already added changing tables to all NYC Parks public restrooms where it’s feasible — three years ahead of schedule. The new and renovated bathrooms we’ll deliver over the next five years will make it easier for New Yorkers to embrace the best parts of this city: our shared outdoors spaces. And our new Google Maps layer will make it easier to find relief when you’ve got to go. ‘Ur in’ luck, New York.”
During his press conference, the Mayor was joined by Theodora Siegel, the city’s unofficial restroom queen and the one-woman-show behind viral social media account Got2GoNYC.
Siegel has been demanding the city to upgrade its public restroom system for years now, and this certainly feels like a step in the right direction.
We cannot, however, we’re still thinking about the “Ur in” pun, and the Mayor’s decision to double down on it during his press conference. New Yorkers, help us find the moniker’s creator—we have a few words to share.