10 MINUTES TO DO YOUR BUSINESS: NYC Rolls Out High-Tech Public Toilets

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolled out his $4 million, one-year pilot toilet program in Queens, with 17 high-tech toilets from Throne Labs to eventually be placed in high-traffic locations in all five boroughs to address the public restroom shortage in the city.

The catch: There is a 10-minute time limit.

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The toilets come equipped with technology that will monitor water usage and cleanliness, are solar-powered and-climate controlled, and are stocked with menstrual products and baby changing tables. They will be accessed via the Throne app, text message, QR code, or physical tap cards that will be distributed through community partners.

But at the five- and eight-minute marks, flashing lights and recorded warnings will notify the user that the time is almost up. At 10 minutes, there will be a 30-second grace period to pull your pants up if you’re not done. Then the doors will open automatically.

This could be a problem for people with disabilities or for someone who is just having a bit of indigestion that day.

At a press conference, a reporter asked Mamdani if there is a way to add time if needed, and he ceded the floor to an official from Throne Labs.

“If there is a need for more time, unfortunately, there is not a way to extend,” she explained. “We are working on a way to do that for people with existing mobility challenges or issues that are ongoing. But for now, no.”

“But our strategy is really just informed consent. So there’s signage on the outside about the 10-minute limit. On the inside audio and visual, and then there are warnings throughout the use that are telling you you’re at five minutes, eight minutes, 10 minutes, and then you even have a little bit of a buffer at the end when you know it’s really getting serious.”

In other words: You’ve been warned.

The mayor added that these bathrooms were not designed for lingering.

“To also just say it succinctly that this is not a place to scroll on your phone. I know that many people do that. This isn’t one of them,” he said.