Paterson McDonald’s Locks Bathroom – Where’s Jersey’s Worst Public Restroom? [POLL]

Some time ago, a couple of my intrepid coworkers, as a public service, went on a safari to find Jersey’s Best and Worst Rest stops.

The idea was to give you the “heads” up (see how I went there?) on where to stop and not stop if and when nature calls.

Well, here’s one you might want to scratch off the list – and while it’s not a rest stop per se, it’s a public bathroom you may just want to avoid.

According to a piece on nj.com: A Paterson McDonald's has been cited numerous times for locking their bathroom – mainly to keep out vagrants wishing to use the sink as a bathtub, or junkies looking to get high.

I don’t blame them one bit. Keeping the bathroom door under lock and key, especially in areas frequented by less than desirable characters is good policy. Make sure the patrons are assured of a relatively clean rest room – not that the patrons are necessarily the cleanest folks on the planet.

According to the report by James Kliemann on NJ.com:

A Market Street McDonald's has racked up eight citations for consistently keeping its restroom closed to the public, according to The Paterson Press.

The fast food restaurant, located near City Hall in downtown Paterson, keeps the bathroom door locked to prevent the homeless from bathing in the sink and drug users from using, Paterson Health and Human Services Director Donna Nelson-Ivy said, citing conversations with a McDonald's manager.

Nelson-Ivy called the locking of the bathroom "unacceptable" and suggested that McDonald's staff members "monitor" the bathing and drug use problems, according to The Paterson Press.

With all due respect, Paterson Health and Human Services Director Donna Nelson-Ivy has a clear head.

Those who work in the McDonald's have more important things to do than monitor the bathroom – and by locking the bathroom – they are, in effect, monitoring who goes in and out of it.

Which is what you want to do - lest someone go in and not come out - as I'm sure may have happened in other dubious locales a time or two.

If you had to choose the worst public restroom/rest stop in Jersey, which would it be?