After Amenity Authority Committee member John Wilcox brought up the issue of bathroom stall doors at a recent AAC Meeting, District Property Management Director Sam Wartinbee was tasked with figuring out why some bathroom stall doors in The Villages open inwardly, while others open outwardly.
Wartinbee indicated that in his findings, he came across no restrictions put forth by the American Disabilities Act of 1990. He did, however, assert that because of the fire code, passage ways could not be narrower than 36 inches.
In many cases, if a bathroom door opens outwardly, it makes the pathway outside of the door dangerously narrow. An outwardly swinging door that narrows a pathway might hurt or harm other bathroom patrons walking past the door.
Wartinbee suggested that bathroom stall doors around The Villages recreation centers may vary based on the size of the existing pathways.
Have you ever experienced a tight squeeze in a bathroom stall because of an inwardly swinging door? Comment below on your experiences!
