Bill Would Change Bathroom Doors (MA politics in the toilet)

WCVB/TV ^ | june 7,2007

[Kimmers]

Proposal Would Have Doors Swing Out, Not In

BOSTON -- If Bellingham resident Douglas Flavin has his way, all public bathroom doors in Massachusetts will open outward, not inward.

The Legislature's Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight reviewed the bill Wednesday. State Rep. James Vallee (D-Franklin) filed the bill on Flavin's behalf.

Survey: What Do You Think?

"[Think] how easy it would be to prevent germs and disease," Flavin's wife Tracy told BostonNow. "If state residents could open bathroom doors with a knee or elbow instead of a handle."

Flavin also claimed it would prevent litter resulting from people protecting their hands with paper towels.

A representative for the state Department of Public Safety told the newspaper that the state building code does not specify the direction public bathroom doors must open.

[gondramB]

Bathroom doors? What about the real issues... like wiping.

People may well be doing it improperly. Where is the government? Don’t they care about safety and hygiene? The government must regulate bathroom habits - for our own good.

[CharlesWayneCT]

They should be. If there was any hint of sarcasm in my post, it wasn’t about the bathrooms being accessable, it was about a liberal state “caring more” for those who need assistance.

Although, reading my comment again, I see that the part about double amputees sounded harsh, and like I was ridiculing bathroom access, which was not my intent. I apologize.

However, I’m guessing this bill is meant to effect all bathrooms, not just public facilities.

[Disturbin]

How about those saloon-style doors?

[Disturbin]

“We’re talking millions of dollars here.”

C’mon ... it’s for the children!

[CORedneck]

Is this the door into the hallway or stall doors ?

Instead, this could be done like my grade school in the 1970's. No door but you walk in, do a turn in one direction then the other as you go around a vision blocking wall.

I still like NZ bathrooms. The stall doors allow for better privacy than American bathrooms such as taller doors, better door latches and a proper door frame where there are no cracks between the stall partition/wall and stall door.

[Sensei Ern]

Have motion-triggered sliding doors.

That would solve the problem until the unclean meet you for the morning meeting, tear half a bagel because they are on a diet, and toss the other half back in the bag, corrupting the entire bag with bathroom germs from not washing their hands.

[Ladysmith]

Our tech school has the large buttons for handicapped - punch it with your elbow and you don’t have to touch the door going in or out.

[beaversmom]

We were at a rest stop in Nebraska and the toilets had foot flushers—I had never seen that before.