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Divisible Restroom

Accommodate demand, from whatever sex it may be
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On busy freeways, there is sometimes a movable barrier that adjusts how many lanes are available for travel in each direction. For example, in the morning rush hour there may be 3 northbound lanes and 1 southbound lane, whereas during the evening rush hour there could be 3 southbound lanes but only one northbound lane.

I suggest that (in movie theaters, for example) instead of building one restroom for men and another separate one for women, build one long restroom, with an adjustable divider which can be pushed back and forth to accomodate various levels of demand by both sexes.

There will still be separate entrances, for men and women, into the common bathroom. The divider is solid and cannot be seen through.

Whenever there is a pileup outside the lavatories after a show or during intermission, the lines for the men's and ladies' entrances can be observed, and the divider can then be shifted so as to equalize demand.

P.S. The plumbing will be easier as well.

P.P.S. In case you're wondering, no, you won't sit on the toilet in the men's room and unwittingly emerge to find yourself in a ladies' room. The divider won't let it happen.

phundug, Jan 08 2004

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       Do the cross-dressers use a no-man's-land?
FarmerJohn, Jan 08 2004
  

       Bar in SOHO with unisex bathroom and very cool transparent doors that frost over when occupied, very HalfBakery
theircompetitor, Jan 08 2004
  

       Nothing's divisible by zero.
k_sra, Jan 08 2004
  

       Why are you trying to divide "nothing" by zero, [k_sra]?
Letsbuildafort, Jan 08 2004
  

       Numbers one and two were taken...
k_sra, Jan 08 2004
  

       Good idea,but which room would trannies use?
python, Jan 08 2004
  

       [python] whichever one they use now.   

       This could be extremely useful at the Westgarth down here in melbourne. They have days like "Star Trek Festival", "Steven Seagal-a-thon", "New York Love Stories". There is usually an extreme bias towards one gender at these events, so this would be ideal.
reap, Jan 08 2004
  

       //P.P.S. In case you're wondering, no, you won't sit on the toilet in the men's room and unwittingly emerge to find yourself in a ladies' room. The divider won't let it happen.// It was this russian roulette aspect that I was *really* looking forward to, though.
Fishrat, Jan 09 2004
  

       But how, when switching from mainly ladies to mainly gents, would you spontaneously produce that all pervading, lingering odour of stale piss that accompanies all men's toilets?
squeak, Jan 09 2004
  

       and you know this, squeak - how?   

       I keep reading this as dirisible restroom
po, Jan 09 2004
  

       Dirigible restroom - floats around the building. Ideal for large atria.
oneoffdave, Jan 09 2004
  

       [po] I've worked in too many pubs.
squeak, Jan 09 2004
  

       De-visible restroom - smoke-filled stalls.
FarmerJohn, Jan 09 2004
  

       De-miserable restroom - has microphones and speakers in all stalls to record and amplify all rear end eructations to the amusement of all present.
squeak, Jan 09 2004
  

       //...where the floors completely open like a trap door when the opposite sex walks in?//

Sooooo....which sex is it that goes in a trap door?
pluterday, Jan 09 2004
  

       All of this solves a problem I don't really think exists. In most places, there are equal facilities for about equal numbers of lads and lassies.   

       In very busy restrooms (rest stops, malls, etc.) ladies' rooms are not busier, rather, women take longer in them.   

       Finally, how the divider mechanism actually works isn't explained.
motive power, Jan 09 2004
  

       This is a great idea but I see squeak's point. And yes, we know about the smell, we just don't know, or would rather not know how it is that men's restrooms all have it.   

       Yes motive power, oh yes the problem exists. If you've ever been to a convention or other event attended by one or the other gender. And no, it isn't simply because women take longer. Who in their right mind would choose to hang out in a restroom?
mack2, Jan 10 2004
  

       i don't think its that women tend to hang out in the loo, but rather that men tend to want to rush things so they can get out of the stinkin place, which may explain the need to rush in the first place. how about some mechanism, like a boxing glove on the end of a 2x4 that pops down on his head if he misses?
mapgrrl, Jan 10 2004
  

       obviously you've never been hit by a boxing glove on the end of a 2x4.
mapgrrl, Jan 11 2004
  

       //i don't think its that women tend to hang out in the loo, but rather that men tend to want to rush things so they can get out of the stinkin place//   

       Odds are much higher that wimmenfolk will come back to the dinner table with a new best friend.
thumbwax, Jan 11 2004
  

       //women take longer//   

       There's a physiological difference here. Women have to undress to a much greater extent than men in order to pee. Undressing (and re-dressing, afterwords) takes time.   

       Also, there's the urinal aspect. In my experience, a building that has two stalls in the women's restroom will have one stall and two urinals in a men's restroom (same size room). Because urinals fit into a smaller space than stalls, and many buildings give equal *space* to all restrooms (rather than equal *fixtures*) men end up with more recepticles. So even if men and women took the same amount of time, the women's restroom would have a longer line.
lyrl, Jan 11 2004
  

       Ah yes. One of the great universal conundrums. Women take longer because they need longer because they take longer. Mens loos stink because they rush peeing because the loos stink.   

       But! Men at home take three times as long as women because they have to read the paper from cover to cover, do the crossword etc. And! even though it doesn't stink in the loo at home *they still miss*!   

       I say change *all* toilets to women's toilets and put one of those bale-of-straw-in-chicken-wire-composting things outside every establishment for the men to pee on. According to my fella, men only feel comfortable crapping in a familiar toilet or the experience is ruined for them so they don't need sit-down-toilets outside of the home anyway.   

       Problem solved!
squeak, Jan 12 2004
  

       Men don't feel comfortable sitting down because it is a rare event in a public loo. Women have to do it all the time so the get used to it.
timbeau, Jan 13 2004
  

       No. We don't have to get used to it. You can't make us.
Worldgineer, Jan 13 2004
  

       Too complicated. Why not just build a series of private cubicles accessible to both sexes?
kinemojo, Mar 15 2006
  
      
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