The Gut Trust is a wonderful IBS resource based in the United Kingdom. This charity is dedicated to the IBS cause, offering assistance to the individual sufferer as well as advocacy on a larger scale. One of the more impressive initiatives of The Gut Trust is their efforts toward increasing access to public toilets throughout England and Scotland. I highly recommend that you make your acquaintance with this impressive organization even if you don’t live in the UK.
In support of the Gut Trust public toilet initiative, I offer you the following poll:
I don’t have IBS, but I’m a marathon walking and when I’m out walking I need a restroom stop at least once an hour. So I am an expert on finding public toilets, and any porta-john will do!
Public toilets have actually become more common in my area, as the supermarkets now all have restroom facilities. I remember back in the olden days when they didn’t. I suppose they are required to because they now have coffee shops or take-out hot food and the codes require public toilets.
I can spot a porta-john from a quarter mile away.
While traveling in post-Tiananmen Crackdown China, we used the traditional toilets (no paper, running water, or seat – just a hole in thr ground or floor) and we saw multi-seat cloacal bathrooms from which “night soil” would be collected to be used later as fertilizer. We usually required special directions to the western-style toilets, in public spots. Happy to say, the western hotels all had standard plumbing. Whatever gets the job done!
I’m on the road frequently and know every good clean public toilet in my county. I’ve found them even at dollar stores – and they are some of the nicest!
With the advent of sprawling gas marts that have deli foods and such, there seems to be more public toilets than when I was growing up, too.
I suffer from IBS, so I make it a point to be very aware of where the bathroom is at all times. Additionally, my job requires a fair amount of travel, so I often have to stop at strange places and use public toilets. I not only know where they all are, but also which ones are kept cleaner than others. I agree with the others that more places have public restrooms because they sell ready-to-eat food. I guess these days everyone is on the run and needs somewhere to go!
My biggest problem is usually not finding a toilet, but rather finding a toilet that does not violate numerous public health codes. The worst is when I am traveling around town via subway. Public toilets in NY subway stations usually remind me of the “Filthiest Toilet in Scotland” from Trainspotting. Ugh.