NYC Gets Into APT Game; Downtown Slowly Adding Its Own Units

By Eric Richardson
Published: Friday, January 11, 2008, at 05:22PM

Eric Richardson

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — New York City opened its first Automated Public Toilet yesterday in Madison Square Park. The city plans to open twenty of the units over the next two years. While Downtown L.A. has several operating APTs, each has taken its time in coming online.

Ground was broken for the APT at 4th & Hill back in April, and the unit has been in the ground since mid-summer. Despite that, it's still not yet been in operation. Lance Oishi of Street Services, who manages the street furniture contract, says that the unit's close to coming online. Just this past week it passed its electrical inspection, and now it just needs DWP to turn on the juice, something that should happen in the next few weeks.

I asked Oishi how he thought the operational APTs were doing. "I'm biased," he said with a laugh. "I think they're running great." He noted that the North Hollywood unit has seen more vandalism issues than any of the Downtown locations. Once the 4th and Hill location gets activated, attention will return to Pershing Square. Another unit is slated to go into the corner of 5th and Hill by year's end.

Toilet Watch

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A fresh patch of concrete next to the still-not-functional Automated Public Toilet (APT) at 4th and Hill is visual proof that getting the unit in service...

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The Automated Public Toilet (APT) at 4th and Hill has been ready to go for nearly three months, but remains out of service waiting for the city's Department...

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Comments

BusTard writes:

Three days ago I talked to two CBS/Decaux employees who were servicing the APT on 5th and Hill, and they said the same thing about DWP. And like Mr. Oishi, they had a few laughs about DWP's involvement.

What I wonder is why adverts on on the APTs that are far from being put into service. Taxpayers have already paid for the APTs, and money is no doubt being collected by the city as well as CBS/Decaux—yet, no service.

The service under review is collecting revenue from two sources even as the primary source—the citizen—is seeing 0% return. In the real world, this is clearly considered theft.

# on Jan.12.2008 AT 07:39 AM

Metro Local writes:

In the real world, this is what happens when a service contract is determined to be "more economical" than using City employes by the Chief Administrative Officer's office and the contracting Department.

The vendor (CBS/Decaux) is not responsible for Water and Power's lack of inaction.

The fault for wasted dollars with respect to service contractors for a non-operational unit is the responsibility of a poorly written contract endorsed by the CAO. This is typical of City contracting out work that could be done by existing City employees and will likely get more attention as the City's budget "crisis" heads to the polls on Proposition S (Vote No).

The APTs were always the type of project that needed management from the Mayor's office to cut across the various departmental timelines for getting operational.

In the meantime, drop a dime to the Controller's office alleging waste if you feel that strongly about it BusTard.

# on Jan.12.2008 AT 08:41 AM

Eric Richardson writes:

BusTard: The City doesn't pay for the APTs -- CBS/Decaux does. You could certainly argue that they're collected ad revenue while not returning the required public amenities, but it's harder to say that it's their fault. The city's been creative in ways to hold up this contract, from Councilmembers who wouldn't approve a single piece of street furniture in their districts to DWP moseying along when it comes to getting hookups done.

# on Jan.12.2008 AT 09:25 AM

BusTard writes:

I stand corrected.

# on Jan.12.2008 AT 02:27 PM