Due to her irritable bowel syndrome, shopping without worries is not an option for Linda* from Tilburg. If she has to go to the toilet, she has to go as quickly as possible, but in the shopping center at Wagnerplein that is a big challenge. She is regularly refused or has to wait a long time before she can use the toilet. “It has gone wrong before. That is very humiliating,” she says.
A morning with Linda in the shopping center shows that it is difficult for her to quickly go to the toilet. “I am turned away at most stores because they only have a staff toilet. Even when I show my toilet pass, I am turned away.”
Pass barely gives access
Linda has irritable bowel syndrome. “If I feel cramps, I have to go to the toilet as soon as possible. Usually within an hour after I have eaten something.” She has applied for a toilet pass from the PDSB interest group for her intestinal problems. That one pass shows that someone has medical reasons needs direct access to a toilet.
We will also put it to the test on Wednesday morning. At a supermarket, drugstore and bakery in the shopping center, the answer is clear: customers are not allowed to use the toilet. “We are no longer allowed to let anyone go to the toilet, because a customer completely smeared the toilet last week,” says a supermarket employee.
“People who stain the toilet ruin it for me,” says Linda, disappointed. Yet she also understands entrepreneurs. “When you see how some people leave the toilet behind, I understand that they don’t just leave the door open.”
Have 50 cents ready
Linda can go to two catering establishments in the shopping center, but she has to pay. There, guests can throw 50 cents into a slot near the door, which gives them access to the toilet. “I always try to have 50 cents with me, but if I don’t have that and have to change first, it may already be too late,” says the Tilburg native.
At a cafeteria on Wagnerplein she first has to ask for the key before she can go to the toilet, which also takes time. “Sometimes the employees are busy, but when I have to, every minute counts.”
In the public library they have been working for two years with a system whereby visitors have to throw 50 cents in the door. There is also a change machine. “You don’t want to see how people sometimes leave it behind,” says a library employee. “That also has to be cleaned and that has to be paid for. We are not a commercial institution, so that is why the toilet visitor has to pay.”
There is a change machine in the library to change 50 cents for the toilet (photo: Omroep Brabant).
The disabled toilet in the library is free, but you must first ask an employee for the key. That often means even longer delays for people like Linda.
‘Things went wrong in the library’
The discomfort goes so far for her that she has to take many things into account when she goes shopping. “I sometimes wait an hour after I’ve eaten before leaving. I also always have wet wipes, clean underpants and a diaper with me.”
Her irritable bowel syndrome also flared up on Wednesday afternoon. “Sorry, I really have to go now,” she interrupts the conversation. This time she makes it on time, but that was also different. “I once wet myself in the library because I couldn’t find someone in time. That is degrading and so humiliating. When you walk home, everyone sees that you wet your pants.”
Linda also has a muscle disease and therefore regularly uses a mobility scooter. “But since that time in the library, I always use the mobility scooter from now on. Then I can hold it in for longer because I’m sitting and no one will notice if something goes wrong.”
Plea for toilet manager
For the Tilburg woman, a toilet attendant would be the ultimate solution. “Then you can quickly throw 50 cents on a plate or say that you will pay later if you need to. The toilets are also kept continuously clean by a toilet attendant,” she says. Yet in recent years she has seen that the toilet manager is increasingly making way for a coin machine.
*Linda is a fictitious name for privacy reasons. Her real name is known to the editors.
Toilet Alliance response
The Toiletalliance, an interest group for public and open toilets, recognizes the signals in Tilburg. The city scores slightly above the national average when it comes to the number of available toilets. The interest group bases this on their app the Toilet Pointerwhere users can see all available toilets nearby.
The Toilet Alliance has seven public toilets in all shopping centers in Tilburg. “Unfortunately, this is the picture in many local shopping centers in the country. We are surprised that the toilet in the library costs money: that toilet is paid for with all our tax money and the members of the library already pay a subscription fee. Why then pay for a basic necessity?”, a spokesperson asks.
Nevertheless, according to the interest group, the municipality is making efforts to create more public toilets in the city. For example, there has been talk in local politics about public toilets on Stadhuisplein for some time. The Toilet Alliance is also in discussions with officials from the municipality of Tilburg about the number of public toilets.