San Francisco hopes to curb poop problem by extending public toilet use to 24 hours

The Department of Public Works initiated a pilot program that will keep three of the busiest "Pit Stop" locations open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Department of Public Works initiated a pilot program that will keep three of the busiest "Pit Stop" locations open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2016 Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2016 Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close San Francisco hopes to curb poop problem by extending public toilet use to 24 hours 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

San Francisco is taking measures to clean up its act by making sure there's less feces on the street.

The Department of Public Works initiated a pilot program Monday that will keep three of the busiest Pit Stop toilets available for public use 24 hours a day throughout the week. These include the Pit Stop toilets in the Castro at Market and Castro streets, the Tenderloin at Eddy and Jones streets, and SoMa at 6th and Jessie streets.

“The Pit Stop model has proven itself during the day — they are widely utilized by the public, have led to reductions in 311 calls, and have improved safety and cleanliness wherever they are implemented — it is long overdue to extend this model to the evening and nighttime,” San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney told KPIX.

Prior to the pilot program, most Pit Stop locations closed by 8 p.m., although the Pit Stop toilets around the Tenderloin close much earlier. Four of the five stations shut down by 4 p.m., with the exception of the Eddy and Jones streets toilet that will now remain open 24 hours.

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Public Works will spend $200,000 to maintain the 24-hour toilets for the next six months. The agency hopes to add an additional seven public restrooms throughout the city.

Mayor London Breed said in May that she planned to add $11.9 million in spending toward city sanitation services, which would include $8.6 million directed to the Pit Stop program for the proposed 2021 budget, according to Curbed.

There’s currently 25 Pit Stop locations that are either portable or permanent lavatories. Each facility is staffed with employees and the new 24-hour stations will also have full-time staff who will clean and maintain the stations. The staff will also make sure the public toilets aren’t being used to consume drugs or perform other illicit activities.

San Francisco’s Department of Public Works first started the Pit Stop program in 2014 when neighborhood middle schoolers complained about dodging human waste on their way to school. At the time, there were only three public toilets around the Tenderloin. Since then, the program has expanded to 13 other neighborhoods and 25 toilets.

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Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE producer. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3