Signage & Washrooms Survey

Left: Outdoor portable washrooms. Right: Arrow signs secured to a light post.

Directional signs to washrooms and other key destinations in the Downtown Dartmouth area were secured in various locations around the plaza. A large map showing the extent of the Open Streets Sunday Festival was provided at a service desk at the entrance to the plaza, and smaller versions of that same map were distributed online for digital use. Directional signs included large, high-contrasting letters and icons to communicate destinations. Maps were colour coded and used icons to identify different destinations. Vendors were also listed in zones where they were located along the festival street.

Portable washroom stalls were located in the plaza prior to the Open Streets Sunday event. One was an accessible stall while the other was not. The PEACH team added synthetic vines and living potted plants to make the location of the temporary washrooms more attractive and approachable. Team members also reviewed the space prior to the event for removable barriers present on the approach to the stalls. Permanent public washrooms were also available indoors at the nearby Alderney Ferry Terminal. Some survey questions asked respondents to imagine different washroom design features that were not able to be demonstrated in reality.

Washroom Experience

The outdoor washrooms provided in Alderney Plaza were generally rated poorly, but not significantly so. About a quarter of respondents felt neutrally about the washrooms or were just satisfied by the washrooms provided. 15% of respondents were not at all satisfied, 12% were partly satisfied, and only 5% were more than satisfied. Most respondents did not require a washroom while at the event (51%). However, the majority of respondents who did had no trouble locating a washroom. 31% said it was easy or very easy to find a washroom they could use. 

Signage Preferences

Directional signage was the most preferred navigation aid. 52% of respondents said they relied on posted arrow signage directing them to specific locations over the digital maps provided over social media, and a larger map poster that was available at only one location at the entrance of the plaza. 

The highest proportion of respondents (59%) agreed that improving signage systems in public spaces is extremely important. An even higher proportion of respondents with disabilities (64%) said the same. 

Hypothetical Prioritization of Washroom Stall Types

Finally, respondents were presented with a hypothetical budget and options for the construction of a new washroom. Within the budget provided, different combinations of typical stalls, accessible stalls following CSA-B651 standards, and universally accessible stalls are possible. Respondents selected which combination they felt was the best use of the budget. The most popular response was to build one of each type of stall in the washroom (35%). The next most preferred option was to build three stalls to accessible standards (30%), then two universal stalls (19%), then one universal stall and three typical stalls (7%), two accessible stalls and two typical stalls (4%), then 5 typical stalls and one accessible stall with 4 typical stalls were tied for least preferred (1%). Respondents with disabilities also favoured building one of each stall type (36%). However, the secondmost chosen option by persons with disabilities was two universally accessible stalls (24%).