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Man Briefly Locked Inside Chicago's First Self-Cleaning Public Toilet on Opening Day
A man using Chicago's new automated public restroom in West Town got stuck inside for several minutes Wednesday afternoon after he couldn't find the button to open the door, prompting a fire department response. He was not injured, and officials say the facility worked as designed.
A man found himself briefly locked inside Chicago's first self-cleaning public restroom on Wednesday afternoon, the same day the facility opened near the CTA Blue Line station at Division Street in West Town.
The man entered the restroom, located in the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, around 3 p.m. and finished using it before the door automatically opened after 15 minutes, according to Paul Stewart, managing director of Iluminara Public Affairs.
"Everything worked the way it was designed to," Stewart said, adding that the unit did not malfunction. "Apparently this person didn't see the button."
Stewart said there are two buttons inside the unit that users can press to open the door, along with audio prompts to guide them. The man, however, began kicking the door and trying to force it open, which triggered the facility to shut down and prompted an emergency response from security personnel and one of two nearby firehouses that carry a key to the restroom.
The Chicago Fire Department arrived first and was told the person was "agitated." Firefighters flipped a switch and the man walked out, Stewart said. He was not injured.
Stewart compared the episode to someone getting stuck in an elevator.
The free public restroom, unveiled Wednesday at the Polish Triangle near North Milwaukee Avenue, North Ashland Avenue and West Division Street, is the city's first automated self-cleaning toilet. The facility is designed to clean itself between uses and is programmed to open automatically after a set period.
The incident highlights the learning curve that can come with new public infrastructure, even as city officials tout the restroom as a long-sought amenity for residents and visitors in a busy commercial and transit corridor. The restroom was back in service after the brief shutdown.