Comptroller Stringer Report: Park Bathrooms Across the City in Decrepit State

Conditions rated unacceptable at more than 100 NYC Parks bathrooms due to unsatisfactory conditions, serious safety hazards, or a lack of cleanliness

In 10 community districts, there are less than eight NYC Parks bathrooms per 100,000 residents, with Brooklyn and Queens experiencing the biggest shortage

Over 1,000 NYC Parks bathrooms do not have changing stations for infants and toddlers and nearly 1,000 are not ADA Accessible

New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released a new report, “Dis-comfort Stations: The Conditions and Availability of NYC Parks Bathrooms,” revealing unacceptable conditions at more than 100 New York City park bathrooms and a failure by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) to maintain basic cleanliness. The Comptroller’s report also found a severe shortage of bathrooms across NYC Parks properties. Access to NYC Parks’ bathrooms varies significantly across community districts, with some containing as few as four bathrooms for every 100,000 residents. Looking more broadly, New York City ranks a lowly 93rd in bathrooms per 100,000 residents among the 100 largest American cities.

“Our parks are essential public spaces, offering children, seniors, and all New Yorkers a safe and secure place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. But the City’s investment and maintenance of our park bathrooms is woefully inadequate. Our bathroom facilities should be comfortable – but our report reveals many of them just stink,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Every neighborhood, including in low- to moderate-income areas, deserves quality public spaces. NYC Parks must expand the number of these bathrooms in neighborhoods in need and provide the resources to bring existing facilities to an acceptable standard. Here’s the bottom line – we all have to go. It is the City’s responsibility to make sure there is a safe, clean place to do so in our parks.”

The State of NYC Parks Bathrooms

Comptroller Stringer’s report reviewed all 1,428 NYC Parks bathrooms in New York City, and the report found:

• In NYC Parks bathrooms, nearly 400 sinks, toilets, walls, ceilings, changing tables, and other features were found to be damaged or missing in their latest inspection.
• One hundred bathrooms citywide were found to be in “unacceptable” condition by NYC Parks’ own metrics.
• Fifteen percent of NYC Parks bathrooms in Manhattan and 12 percent in Brooklyn were deemed unacceptable.
• In nine community districts, more than 25 percent of NYC Parks bathrooms were rated unacceptable. The worst performing neighborhoods included Chinatown and the Lower East Side; East Harlem; Flatbush and Midwood; East Flatbush, Farragut and Rugby; Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville and West Harlem; Canarsie and Flatlands; Bushwick; and Sunnyside and Woodside.

‘Hazardous’ and ‘Unacceptable’ Conditions at NYC Parks Bathrooms

Comptroller Stringer’s report also found that 53 “hazards” were discovered in NYC Parks bathrooms that could lead to moderate to debilitating injuries. These included exposed wires, damaged or missing safety straps on changing stations, noxious odors, and insufficient lighting. Across the five boroughs, 38 bathrooms contained hazardous conditions, including 17 in Brooklyn, eight in Manhattan, seven in the Bronx, five in Queens, and one in Staten Island.

Dangerous and injury-threatening conditions are not the only problems that New Yorkers must contend with. NYC Parks inspectors also found 399 bathroom components that were in ‘unacceptable’ condition.

• These included:
  • Twenty-nine toilets, urinals, sinks, and hand dryers that were out-of-service
  • Twenty-three soap dispensers missing or damaged
  • Twenty-three ceilings, walls, and floors deteriorated
  • Seventeen damaged changing tables
• Of the 207 NYC Parks bathrooms with at least one feature in unacceptable condition, 57 were in Brooklyn, 57 were in Queens, 49 were in Manhattan, 37 were in the Bronx, and seven were in Staten Island.

A Lack of NYC Park Bathrooms

Comptroller Stringer’s report revealed that in addition to the decrepit state of many of the city’s park bathrooms, many New Yorkers are lacking access to these facilities at all. The availability of bathrooms varies widely across neighborhoods.

• In 10 community districts, there are fewer than eight NYC Parks bathrooms for every 100,000 residents.
• Neighborhoods with the lowest number of bathrooms include Bensonhurst, Flatbush and Midwood, Howard Beach and Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven, Borough Park, Jackson Heights and North Corona, and Crown Heights North and Prospect Heights.
• Morris Heights, Fordham South and Mount Hope in the Bronx have the fewest number of NYC Parks bathrooms per capita of any community district citywide.
• Moreover, many NYC Parks bathrooms provide meager access to residents of the city. A troubling 69 percent are not ADA accessible, 73 percent do not have changing stations for infants and toddlers, and 11 percent are not open year-round.

As part of the report, Comptroller Stringer offered recommendations to NYC Parks for reform, including upgrading existing bathroom facilities, installing changing stations in all 1,428 bathrooms, and building out new facilities in underserved areas throughout the city. To achieve these goals, NYC Parks must adopt procurement reforms to standardize the design and costs of new bathrooms. Comptroller Stringer also recommended NYC Parks increase investment in maintaining and operating existing bathroom facilities to improve safety and cleanliness, especially in neighborhoods with a high number of bathrooms riddled with hazardous conditions.

To read the Comptroller’s full report, click here.