Thailand: service station toilets

Two very contrasting experiences on the road between Bangkok and Pattaya!

At the major service station on the Motorway 7 north of Chonburi (eastbound), there was a cubicle in the gents’ toilets marked for wheelchair use, and the toilet itself appeared to have the usual grab bars and flush button – but the door was no wider than the other cubicles’ doors, thus making it inaccessible for wheelchair users.

Even if you had been able to get the wheelchair in, there was a gutter running across the doorway of all the cubicles, which would have made matters more difficult still and could also have provided a hazard for blind users. (To say nothing of the hygiene implications – wouldn’t it be better all round to have a covered drain?)

A minor saving grace was the presence of a washbasin at the appropriate height, but that’s not much use if you haven’t been able to use the toilet in the first place. (And, as you can see, the place was pretty squalid anyway.)

On the other hand, on the link road (eastbound) between the motorway and Highway 3 just north-east of Banglamung, the Shell garage had a disabled toilet, complete with ramp and sliding door, which was well designed and clean.