What a relief!
The Big Apple will look more like Tinkletown today as the city’s first pay-per-potty opens for business in Manhattan.
The high-tech outhouse, located in Madison Square Park just steps from the Shake Shack, offers 15 minutes of privacy for just a quarter.
The so-called “automatic public toilet” is one of 20 planned for the city as part of a contract with the Spanish conglomerate Cemusa, which is also providing 3,300 new bus shelters and 330 newsstands.
Outgoing Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff and Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan are expected to be on hand for the ceremonial first flush at 23rd Street and Madison Avenue.
A steady stream of revenue from advertising in the restrooms and other “street furniture” is expected to generate $1.4 billion over 20 years – of which $1 billion will go into city coffers.
So far, about 1,000 bus shelters and 39 newsstands have been constructed.
Some newsstand operators, however, have criticized the new kiosks as shoddy.
The city hasn’t decided where the remaining 19 toilets, which self-clean for 60 seconds after each use, will be sited.
The 34th Street Partnership already operates its own pay toilets – at 50 cents a visit – in Greeley Square and Herald Square.
During the early ’90s, the city experimented with pay toilets but ultimately canned the project.
cbennett@nypost.com