An inside look at a Throne toilet stall in Detroit. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios
👋 Chelsea here to complain again about how New Orleans doesn't have enough public bathrooms. (Seriously, the data backs me up.)
Why it matters: It doesn't have to be this way!
Zoom in: A story this week from my Axios colleague Joe Guillen in Detroit shows why.
That city just installed two free-to-use bathrooms from a Washington, D.C.,-based company called Throne (cheeky!), in a new pilot program that may expand.
The company makes elegantly-designed standalone stalls, which are filled with sensors for immediate but anonymous feedback for crews to track cleanliness and usage.
State of play: Past survey data has shown there are just 20 public restrooms in the entire city of New Orleans.
That's just not enough, especially because our town punches well above its population weight at times of high tourism. (Read: Mardi Gras.)
Yes, but: Admittedly, the Thrones are not cheap. WTOP reports they cost around $85,000 annually.
