The unusually cramped urinal layout at Farrer Park MRT station has drawn attention online, and SBS Transit says it is now reviewing possible improvements.
Photos of the male toilet show six urinals squeezed into a narrow area, with urinals on opposite sides facing each other and little room for users to pass between them.
SBS Transit, which operates the North East Line station, told CNA on Thursday, 3 September, that it was aware of the issue and was looking at possible changes to the layout.
However, commuters should not expect an overnight renovation. SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said any works would have to be planned carefully to reduce inconvenience to commuters, adding that the process could take some time.
Commuter Estimated Passage At About 60cm
The issue had already been raised by a commuter who told Stomp that he noticed the layout during a visit to the toilet on 12 August.
He estimated that the space between the two rows of urinals was only about 60cm.
That creates an obvious problem when the facilities are actually being used. According to the commuter, if people occupy the urinals closest to the entrance, someone trying to reach or leave the urinals further inside could have difficulty getting past.
He also said two people using directly opposing urinals would be standing extremely close together.
It is, perhaps, space efficiency taken a little further than most commuters would prefer.
‘Mr Toilet’ Went Down To Check For Himself
The photos also caught the attention of Jack Sim, founder of the Singapore-based World Toilet Organization.
Sim told CNA that when he first encountered the images online, he wondered whether they had been digitally altered. He subsequently visited Farrer Park MRT station himself to check.
After seeing the toilet in person, Sim said two people using opposite urinals would have difficulty standing back-to-back without touching. He also highlighted how someone at the deeper end could potentially have to wait for another user to finish before being able to leave.
Sim questioned how such an arrangement had made it through the various stages involved in designing and building public infrastructure, and said the layout should be reconfigured.
Toilet Design Guide Recommends More Clearance
There is also a published design benchmark for comparison.
The Restroom Association (Singapore)’s guide to public toilet design says there should be at least 900mm, or 90cm, of clearance in front of a urinal to any wall, fixture or door.
It also recommends that adjacent urinals be at least 900mm apart when measured from centre to centre, and that modesty boards be installed between urinals.
The roughly 60cm figure reported at Farrer Park was the commuter’s own estimate rather than an official measurement, so it cannot be directly treated as a confirmed measurement of the toilet’s compliance with the guide.
For now, SBS Transit has not announced exactly what changes will be made or when any works will begin. As of 3 September, it has only confirmed that possible improvements are under review.
