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The transport network in London is set to receive a boost in facilities, with Transport for London (TfL) announcing an investment of £15m in building more toilets around the network and upgrading existing ones. The news has been welcomed by passengers with bladder or gut conditions, such as Billie Nicholls, for whom improved access to toilets means she can now travel “without worry and stress.” Suffering from ulcerative colitis, Nicholls was diagnosed with the condition in 2017 and has had a stoma bag for seven years.
TfL aims to increase the number of toilets available to customers from the current 185, ensuring that a toilet is always within 20 minutes’ reach without having to change trains. Construction work is set to begin within the next year. Helena Salisbury, who was diagnosed with colitis a year ago and travels weekly on the Tube network for work, commented on the move, saying while it was a step in the right direction, the ideal solution would be one toilet at every station for maximum peace of mind. Ms Salisbury added that during a colitis flare-up, 20 minutes is sometimes too long to wait for access to a toilet.
Fern Howard from the charity group Crohn’s and Colitis UK, which supports people with gut conditions, expressed her satisfaction at the moves to increase toilet access, but agreed with Ms Salisbury that 20 minutes is often too long to wait. The group reveals that 9 in 10 people plan their activities based on toilet access, and the lack of public and accessible toilets can prove stressful, isolating and challenging. Figures from Age UK London show that one in five people choose not to leave home as much as they’d like to due to a lack of public toilets, known as the ‘loo leash’. John McGeachy from the organization welcomed the funding, saying, “Public toilets are not something we talk about often but the reality is that better provision can transform lives.”
TfL is shortlisting proposed locations for the extra toilets, focusing on terminus stations that operate night services with step-free access and high footfall, proximity to other toilets on the network and onward connections. The provision of toilets is crucial for many customers, with a lack of available toilets often determining whether a customer can travel by public transport at all. TfL recognizes that while some toilets on the network have been closed or limited due to vandalism, it is looking to improve their availability and facilities, including new designs that are less likely to be abused. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commented that the investment would help to create a better, fairer London for everyone
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