Much to the relief of TheBus riders, the restrooms at the Alapai Transit Center will be open to the public daily starting at 5 a.m. today.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell made the announcement Friday. "Though cleaning, maintenance and security will not be free, this is the kind of service a city should provide," he said.
Both the men’s and women’s restrooms, which have two stalls each, were previously reserved for bus drivers. Located on the Diamond Head end of the ground level next to the cavernous driveway reserved for city buses, security guards will open them at 5 a.m. and lock them at 11 p.m. daily, the city said.
When the $19 million transit facility opened in May, the restrooms were made available only to bus drivers. The city estimates 200 buses and 2,000 passengers use the transit center daily.
Then-Transportation Services Director Wayne Yoshioka said the restrooms were designed only to be for bus drivers. Much as he would like restrooms at all transit facilities, he said, the city stopped putting them in newer ones due primarily to maintenance and security concerns.
The decision led to grousing by bus riders forced to find accommodations elsewhere.
Caldwell, in a news release, said some bus riders would miss the bus looking for a restroom to use. "The walk could be too far for seniors," he said. "There were limited options early in the morning or late at night. I felt that this had to stop."
It will cost about $48,000 annually to clean and maintain the restrooms, city spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke said. Security is already part of a current contract for the entire facility, he said. Electronic air-blown hand dryers are scheduled to be installed next week, he said.
Last August, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi introduced a resolution urging the administration to construct public restrooms at the Alapai center. She noted that city officials, in a 2010 news release, pointed out that public restrooms would be among the amenities at the new facility.
On Friday, Kobayashi applauded the administration’s move.
"I guess now they’re listening, and that’s a good sign," Kobayashi said. "It’s such an important concern. There are many elderly and many children who ride TheBus."
The city needs to have a policy of encouraging public transportation if it wants people to support the rail project, she said.
Passengers waiting for their buses at the transit center Friday afternoon also gave a thumbs-up to the move.
Makaha resident Vanessa DeMello, 58, said she spends 90 minutes to two hours each way commuting to her job with the Judiciary.
"It’s a long haul; you try hold your bladder for two hours," DeMello said.
Nanakuli resident Anthony Slavitto, 50, who often travels on the same Makaha express bus as DeMello, said that at Alapai, men often relieve themselves behind the transit center.
The Hawaii Carpenters Union employee said he goes across Alapai Street to the Fasi Municipal Building, but it’s a hassle because anyone entering the building has to show identification to security guards, and it is only open during city business hours.
During a 10-minute period, the Star-Advertiser witnessed two men urinate behind bushes against the makai wall of the HPD police station garage.
