The problem could be solved with sliding door that slides into the wall and if it were actuated by an electric sensor as the door is approached, no one would have to touch the door.

Good idea - especially at airports. When you are in the bathroom stall with your luggage, coat, purse etc. it's pretty awkward getting the door opened INTO whynot_the stall and getting out.

A stall represents a special problem that could be solved by a door that was constructed like a roll top desk cover which could slide into and out of one of the sides of the stall. The electric control could be operated only from the inside so it automatically locked with an over-ride with a key switch on the outside for emergencies.

There's 2 threads here - the door to the facility and the door to the stall.

Airports have already solved the door to the facility by eliminating it and the usual second door after the vestibule (intended for visual privacy) by using the little maze. This takes up more space but is easier to navigate with accouterments.

The stall door is another one of those 'smack-someone-in-the-face' situations when it opens out. A stall that is slightly wider, perhaps by only 6", would be an enormous improvement but would mean one less stall for every 6 in a row.

The underlying problem is that building owners provide public facilities out of necessity and do not address these spaces beyond the minimum requirements.

Regarding hand washing - I was in a convention center where there were probably 30 stalls and 5 sinks with 2 hand drying machines. The emphasis was definately on the necessity.

I like the roll-away door idea, the electric lock is not necessary, a latch should work. The door would probably need to extend to the floor for a bottom track, but what if the door was a bi-fold like the old telephone booths? A bottom track might be replaced by a hinged arm.

I like the bifold idea (as in old telephone booths -- and telephone booths are similar to bathroom stalls in being very cramped).

Which raises the question -- why did old telephone booths go to the trouble of bifold doors in the first place? Was there a concern that single doors would hit passing pedestrians?

The previous comment wrote:Which raises the question -- why did old telephone booths go to the trouble of bifold doors in the first place? Was there a concern that single doors would hit passing pedestrians? Yes, I think that was the problem. A lot of phone booths were in crowded places where there wasn't room for a door to swing out. How did they work this issue on the British phone booths of 30+ years ago? I recall they had a solid door. They eliminated doors on phone booths in the U.S. about 10 years ago because they occasionally got stuck and people got trapped in the booth. Around 5 years ago I saw a phone booth that was like the phone booths of old except it didn't have a door. That is, it was built that way. Better than an open-air pay phone, which is a pain in the neck in most climates. But it sure is hard to talk over the traffic noise.

Why not just eliminate the main door such the only door is on the main toilet booth you wash your hands and move out of the public toilet area.

These are architectural problems. But I agree, having the door swing out would be more convenient for me.

I like you am disgusted at the number of people that urinate and deficate and walk out the door without washing thier hands as though gonarhea, streptocochas, e-choli, ... and all the other hazardous bacteria has nothing to do with them.

Use the last paper towel to open the door.

Voting No Opinion because I agree with the basic concept, but it's nothing to complain about.

I agree that bathroom doors should open out. Just thinking about all the people that do not wash their hands is disgusting. I am doing a report for college on the whole thing and its nice to know that I am not the only person who feels this way.

I like the idea

I'm pretty sure they open 'in' to prevent people from being trapped in the room. If you'll notice, it's really easy to trap someone in a room with an opening-out-door, simply by pushing a piece of furniture or wedgeing a chair under the door handle. This problem can't happen with an open-in-door.

a door can be blocked from inside the bathroom by passed out person,easyer to break in then to peel the door open!(did'nt any body teach you not to get P or doodie on yourself?)