Thu Jul 26, 2012, 02:50 AM

alp227 (20,988 posts)

Human waste shuts down BART escalators

When work crews pulled open a broken BART escalator at San Francisco's Civic Center Station last month, they found so much human excrement in its works they had to call a hazardous-materials team.

While the sheer volume of human waste was surprising, its presence was not. Once the stations close, the bottom of BART station stairwells in downtown San Francisco are often a prime location for homeless people to camp for the night or find a private place to relieve themselves.

All those biological excretions can gum up the wheels and gears of BART's escalators, shutting them down for long periods of extended repairs, increasing station cleaning costs and creating an unpleasant aroma for morning commuters.

Five of the nine escalators that weren't working at BART stations on Wednesday were in downtown San Francisco, said Jim Allison, a BART spokesman. While there are many reasons a BART escalator can break down, the beating they take at night is among the most acute.

full: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Human-waste-shuts-down-BART-escalators-3735981.php

Article also includes a photo of the scene...make sure you wait a while if you've recently eaten.

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107 replies	Author	Time	Post
Human waste shuts down BART escalators (Original post)	alp227	Jul 2012	OP
Good grief.	MADem	Jul 2012	#1
probuably cheaper to place a johnny blue just outside the station.	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#2
there's a well known mentally ill homeless woman who every morning poops across the street of CC sta	NuttyFluffers	Jul 2012	#24
Sigh...this is why we need to bring back Public Mental Health Clinics	Taverner	Jul 2012	#59
Sf tried free public outdoor toilets	dixiegrrrrl	Jul 2012	#54
I did a lot of traveling recently in the US, some to not the most	RKP5637	Jul 2012	#55
drugs, or for sleeping, or for just trashing.	dixiegrrrrl	Jul 2012	#58
Actually, we've never had free public toilets. Though, the toilets we have (and we still have them)	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#61
I stand corrected about the 25 cents fee for the toilets, but the ones I saw	dixiegrrrrl	Jul 2012	#72
You must live or work in a nice neighborhood, Paris-toilet-wise, anyway. Those things are a problem.	MADem	Jul 2012	#83
Watching people poo on escalators isn't my idea of a good job.	Kaleva	Jul 2012	#10
i wonder if they poo on them as they are moving, but seriously johnny blues would solve it.	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#12
they didn't solve it in Seattle	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#17
Yeah it's a pretty crappy job.	Initech	Jul 2012	#48
Won't work. they'll need to fence off the escalators at night	CreekDog	Jul 2012	#76
That is absolutely disgusting.	Serve The Servants	Jul 2012	#3
OMG flashback, i saw that movie absolutely donks ago, gonna have to netflix it	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#5
I remember hearing a while back	Serve The Servants	Jul 2012	#8
you cant remake a classic like that, now a sequel im fine with but only if tiffany stars in it	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#9
If you liked C.H.U.D., you'll really like "Street Trash".	badtoworse	Jul 2012	#32
Geeesh can't they install some port-a-potties or something! nt	Raine	Jul 2012	#4
Nope! We have to punish the homeless, remember?	Scootaloo	Jul 2012	#6
If you do that.	RandySF	Jul 2012	#20
OK, how about porta-potties and injection clinics.	backscatter712	Jul 2012	#49
I would support clinics on one condition.	RandySF	Jul 2012	#75
I'm sure that clinic staff would encourage the users to go to rehab.	backscatter712	Jul 2012	#77
We have public toilets and the homeless are supposed to receive tokens in order to	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#62
Those toilets are a failure, though, at least according to two published comments on the matter.	MADem	Jul 2012	#85
You have linked to a right wing publication. Congratulations. Notice that the caption of the 1st pic	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#89
Oh, so the SF Chronicle is a right wing publication, too? Huffpo? Come off it.	MADem	Jul 2012	#90
Yes. The Chronicle is a right wing joke. "The City" has to look for alternatives	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#93
No--because seventeen toilets out of twenty five "NOT WORKING" is a tourist problem.	MADem	Jul 2012	#95
Again. The right wing Chronicle will do whatever they can to remove a public service....	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#97
You are flailing, now. Why in the world would anyone in the "right wing" want to shut these money	MADem	Jul 2012	#98
Because the contract is over in a year and a half. After that,the city has to take over and it will	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#99
The reason the company might not want to renew is because of the vandalism--ever think about that?	MADem	Jul 2012	#102
Portables are not designed for, nor durable enough for continuous use like this. OTOH, we do need	Egalitarian Thug	Jul 2012	#107
Maybe they should reconsider letting the homeless go without shelter...	Kalidurga	Jul 2012	#7
I remember reading about a lady who lead the police on a high speed chase.	Kaleva	Jul 2012	#11
An old girl friend of mine gave that as an excuse when she got stopped for speeding.	badtoworse	Jul 2012	#33
A real Anglo-Saxon American would blame the homeless for this.	Zalatix	Jul 2012	#13
Unless by shelter you mean "mental institution" that only goes so far	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#23
i saw the photo & don't see anything as horrifying as you say. looks like some paper, a fast-food	HiPointDem	Jul 2012	#14
yeah i thought that as well, was expecting something much worse after the warning	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#15
This message was hidden by jury decision.	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#16
Or maybe we need better housing and sanitary facilities for the homeless, n'est-ce pas?	marmar	Jul 2012	#28
My office overlooks a little park...	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#41
I wish more on the right were as honest	RandiFan1290	Jul 2012	#29
I'll chip in for the one-way plane ticket.	2ndAmForComputers	Jul 2012	#56
I hate getting off at Civic Center or going upstairs.	RandySF	Jul 2012	#18
it is really depressing.	NuttyFluffers	Jul 2012	#25
Oh, those poor people having to experience that 'unpleasant aroma'. Well, if you tolerate	coalition_unwilling	Jul 2012	#19
i dont think the smell is the problem, its probuably a health hazard having poop in the escalators	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#21
I was responding to the text of the article:	coalition_unwilling	Jul 2012	#22
Part of having a first world nation and paying taxes	4th law of robotics	Jul 2012	#31
Now that we've heard your implied defense of petit bourgeois	coalition_unwilling	Jul 2012	#34
Ah so not wanting to be surrounded by shit is "bourgeois"	4th law of robotics	Jul 2012	#35
Um, yeah, not wanting to be surrounded by shit is the	coalition_unwilling	Jul 2012	#36
Fascinating	4th law of robotics	Jul 2012	#37
If that's all it takes to get on someone's ignore list	Quantess	Jul 2012	#79
seems people use the ignore thing if they lose an argument, i jsut dont get it	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#84
That person probably just needed a nap.	Quantess	Jul 2012	#101
I'm sure that half of DU is really suffering	4th law of robotics	Jul 2012	#103
SHUT IT DOWN!!!11	Yeah Its Spin	Jul 2012	#26
Maybe they should provide facilities for the homeless	liberal N proud	Jul 2012	#27
No, providing facilities for the homeless would just be too common-sense. The	coalition_unwilling	Jul 2012	#30
Solution: Provide public toilet facilities.	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#38
No kidding. Try finding a restroom in Downtown Minneapolis...	Kalidurga	Jul 2012	#39
It's the same in almost all large American cities.	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#40
That raises its own issues	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#42
I see. So the homeless will just have to crap in the corner.	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#44
Fine, explain how you will prevent the public washrooms from being destroyed,	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#45
Perhaps it all needs to go a bit farther.	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#46
The solution requires confronting some uncomfortable issues	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#47
So, you think the solution is to institutionalize or imprison these	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#70
Damn, MM I'm proud of you today.	unapatriciated	Jul 2012	#53
I've spent a few thousand hours volunteering in	MineralMan	Jul 2012	#71
We have had public toilets since 1995 but they cost money to use...	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#64
just wondered why 20 minutes, seems a long time.	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#86
To catch up on some reading... I don't know. 20 minutes seems too much	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#87
yeah but in the public crapper you try to get in and out without getting attacked	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#92
I hate to keep confronting you on this, but you're offering an inaccurate view of the situation.	MADem	Jul 2012	#88
Yes, in fact, I was a vocal advocate against this private contract. BUT, they have served their	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#91
When more of these expensive 20 minute houses of prostitution are broken than work, it is time to	MADem	Jul 2012	#96
We have them but they cost money (25¢ or 50¢) and the homeless are supposed to receive tokens...	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#63
I've seen those and they're pretty good, but I don't know if they'd stand up well to vandalism.	JVS	Jul 2012	#80
We've had them since 1995. The same ones and they still in good shape.	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#81
My husband is retired from Bart	marlakay	Jul 2012	#43
Googling, I believe the bathrooms were locked in response to 9/11.	backscatter712	Jul 2012	#52
You are correct.	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#65
From what I heard even when they were open	marlakay	Jul 2012	#105
Limbaugh got caught up in the gears?	lpbk2713	Jul 2012	#50
resist commodity-time and the regimentation of everyday life	BOG PERSON	Jul 2012	#51
Talk about a crappy commute	KamaAina	Jul 2012	#57
The good news is it was just human waste and not human remains	slackmaster	Jul 2012	#60
why don't they have public restrooms	barbtries	Jul 2012	#66
We do, please see posts #61, #62, #63, #64.	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#67
i did	barbtries	Jul 2012	#68
I think making the few dozen self-cleaning bathrooms that already exhist free to use	Luminous Animal	Jul 2012	#69
Ironically, those BART stations do have restrooms - permanently closed and locked.	backscatter712	Jul 2012	#74
You know that sign that says please use the handrail?	TouchOfGray	Jul 2012	#73
The hayward station is not much better.	RandySF	Jul 2012	#78
Across the vastness that is Los Angeles' Metro system,	kestrel91316	Jul 2012	#82
Why did they have to break before being cleaned properly.	Bonobo	Jul 2012	#94
maybe it just gets so much poop that they cant keepup	loli phabay	Jul 2012	#100
If you knew Bart management	marlakay	Jul 2012	#106
I thought Romney was in London	Zyzafyx	Jul 2012	#104

Response to alp227 (Original post)

Thu Jul 26, 2012, 02:54 AM

MADem (87,257 posts)

1. Good grief.

What's been done: BART police say it is difficult to enforce laws banning public bathroom use because they must witness the crime, but they are working with city officials to coordinate a response to cleanliness issues.

Get a 7-11 convenience store video surveillance system--this is not rocket science.

Human waste shuts down BART escalators

1. Good grief.

2. probuably cheaper to place a johnny blue just outside the station.

24. there's a well known mentally ill homeless woman who every morning poops across the street of CC sta

59. Sigh...this is why we need to bring back Public Mental Health Clinics

54. Sf tried free public outdoor toilets

55. I did a lot of traveling recently in the US, some to not the most

58. drugs, or for sleeping, or for just trashing.

61. Actually, we've never had free public toilets. Though, the toilets we have (and we still have them)

72. I stand corrected about the 25 cents fee for the toilets, but the ones I saw

83. You must live or work in a nice neighborhood, Paris-toilet-wise, anyway. Those things are a problem.

10. Watching people poo on escalators isn't my idea of a good job.

12. i wonder if they poo on them as they are moving, but seriously johnny blues would solve it.

17. they didn't solve it in Seattle

48. Yeah it's a pretty crappy job.

76. Won't work. they'll need to fence off the escalators at night

3. That is absolutely disgusting.

5. OMG flashback, i saw that movie absolutely donks ago, gonna have to netflix it

8. I remember hearing a while back

9. you cant remake a classic like that, now a sequel im fine with but only if tiffany stars in it

32. If you liked C.H.U.D., you'll really like "Street Trash".

4. Geeesh can't they install some port-a-potties or something! nt

6. Nope! We have to punish the homeless, remember?

20. If you do that.

49. OK, how about porta-potties and injection clinics.

75. I would support clinics on one condition.

77. I'm sure that clinic staff would encourage the users to go to rehab.

62. We have public toilets and the homeless are supposed to receive tokens in order to

85. Those toilets are a failure, though, at least according to two published comments on the matter.

89. You have linked to a right wing publication. Congratulations. Notice that the caption of the 1st pic

90. Oh, so the SF Chronicle is a right wing publication, too? Huffpo? Come off it.

93. Yes. The Chronicle is a right wing joke. "The City" has to look for alternatives

95. No--because seventeen toilets out of twenty five "NOT WORKING" is a tourist problem.

97. Again. The right wing Chronicle will do whatever they can to remove a public service....

98. You are flailing, now. Why in the world would anyone in the "right wing" want to shut these money

99. Because the contract is over in a year and a half. After that,the city has to take over and it will

102. The reason the company might not want to renew is because of the vandalism--ever think about that?

107. Portables are not designed for, nor durable enough for continuous use like this. OTOH, we do need

7. Maybe they should reconsider letting the homeless go without shelter...

11. I remember reading about a lady who lead the police on a high speed chase.

33. An old girl friend of mine gave that as an excuse when she got stopped for speeding.

13. A real Anglo-Saxon American would blame the homeless for this.

23. Unless by shelter you mean "mental institution" that only goes so far

14. i saw the photo & don't see anything as horrifying as you say. looks like some paper, a fast-food

15. yeah i thought that as well, was expecting something much worse after the warning

28. Or maybe we need better housing and sanitary facilities for the homeless, n'est-ce pas?

41. My office overlooks a little park...

29. I wish more on the right were as honest

56. I'll chip in for the one-way plane ticket.

18. I hate getting off at Civic Center or going upstairs.

25. it is really depressing.

19. Oh, those poor people having to experience that 'unpleasant aroma'. Well, if you tolerate

21. i dont think the smell is the problem, its probuably a health hazard having poop in the escalators

22. I was responding to the text of the article:

31. Part of having a first world nation and paying taxes

34. Now that we've heard your implied defense of petit bourgeois

35. Ah so not wanting to be surrounded by shit is "bourgeois"

36. Um, yeah, not wanting to be surrounded by shit is the

37. Fascinating

79. If that's all it takes to get on someone's ignore list

84. seems people use the ignore thing if they lose an argument, i jsut dont get it

101. That person probably just needed a nap.

103. I'm sure that half of DU is really suffering

26. SHUT IT DOWN!!!11

27. Maybe they should provide facilities for the homeless

30. No, providing facilities for the homeless would just be too common-sense. The

38. Solution: Provide public toilet facilities.

39. No kidding. Try finding a restroom in Downtown Minneapolis...

40. It's the same in almost all large American cities.

42. That raises its own issues

44. I see. So the homeless will just have to crap in the corner.

45. Fine, explain how you will prevent the public washrooms from being destroyed,

46. Perhaps it all needs to go a bit farther.

47. The solution requires confronting some uncomfortable issues

70. So, you think the solution is to institutionalize or imprison these

53. Damn, MM I'm proud of you today.

71. I've spent a few thousand hours volunteering in

64. We have had public toilets since 1995 but they cost money to use...

86. just wondered why 20 minutes, seems a long time.

87. To catch up on some reading... I don't know. 20 minutes seems too much