Urinal layout of male toilet at Farrer Park MRT station to be reviewed after online backlash

Public transport operator SBS Transit is reviewing possible improvements to the urinal layout in the male toilet at Farrer Park MRT station.

This follows recent online discussions and criticisms on the narrow passage between the two rows.

The discussions drew the attention of World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sim, who visited the toilet to verify the situation.

Sim showed three photographs from his visit, and raised concerns regarding the practicality of the layout.

"It is impossible for two persons to stand back to back without touching. It is also impossible to use the other urinals if the first one is used and blocking the passage.

"If you so happen to use the last urinal, you'd need to wait for the first guy to finish," he quipped in a Wednesday (Sept 2) Facebook post.

The 69-year-old also pointed out that building and construction works typically go through several layers of approval, and wondered why the issue was not spotted.

Sim also called for the relevant building codes to be updated to incorporate the lessons learnt in this instance to avoid similar issues.

Reviews ongoing: SBS Transit

In response to AsiaOne's queries, SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said it is aware of the issue and is reviewing possible improvements to the layout.

While it did not address a question on timeline, the North East Line (NEL) rail operator highlighted that any work will need to be carefully planned to minimise inconvenience to commuters.

"We seek commuters’ patience and understanding as this may take some time," Wu added.

Farrer Park MRT station was opened in June 2003. It was named after Roland John Farrer, former president of the Municipal Commissioners from 1919 to 1931.

AsiaOne has also reached out to the Land Transport Authority for its comments on the matter.

公共交通运营商新捷运正在审查花拉公园地铁站男厕所小便池布局的改进方案。

此前，网上曾出现过关于两排座椅之间通道狭窄的讨论和批评。

这些讨论引起了世界厕所组织创始人杰克·西姆的注意，他亲自前往厕所核实情况。

Sim 展示了他参观时拍摄的三张照片，并对布局的实用性提出了质疑。

“两个人背靠背站立而不接触是不可能的。如果第一个小便池被使用并堵塞了通道，那么使用其他小便池也是不可能。”

“如果你碰巧用了最后一个小便池，你就得等第一个人用完，”他在周三（9 月 2 日）的 Facebook 帖子中打趣道。

这位 69 岁的老人还指出，建筑工程通常需要经过多层审批，并质疑为什么这个问题没有被发现。

Sim 还呼吁更新相关的建筑规范，将此次事件中吸取的教训纳入其中，以避免类似问题。

评论进行中：SBS Transit

针对AsiaOne的询问，SBS Transit发言人吴女士表示，公司已了解该问题，并正在研究可能的布局改进方案。

虽然没有回答有关时间表的问题，但东北线 (NEL) 铁路运营商强调，任何工程都需要仔细规划，以最大程度地减少对通勤者的不便。

吴补充道：“我们恳请通勤者耐心等待并予以理解，因为这可能需要一些时间。”

花拉公园地铁站于 2003 年 6 月开通。该站以 1919 年至 1931 年担任市政委员会主席的罗兰·约翰·花拉的名字命名。

AsiaOne 也已联系陆路交通管理局，就此事征求其意见。