RTD recently removed the stall doors in both the men's and women's restrooms at the Union Station bus concourse.
“It’s for the security of our passengers and customers,” said RTD Public Relations Manager Tina Jaquez. “We were made aware of some drug activity and other things happening in the bathrooms that were making [it] unsafe for our customers.”
Denver Health said it has transported a total of 17 overdose patients from Union Station, at 1700 Wewatta St., this year. That's out of 406 patients they've seen at the Union Station railway station and bus terminal.
“We completely understand the concerns of privacy, but right now we just needed to do that to stop some of the unsafe activity that was going on,” Jaquez said.
“We were very concerned to hear about that, however we’re not surprised,” said Harm Reduction Action Center Executive Director Lisa Raville. “We know that when people are homeless or transitionally housed, they inject outside, in alleys, in parks and in business bathrooms.”
The Harm Reduction Action Center is one of Colorado’s largest public health agencies that work specifically with people who inject drugs. The HRAC works closely with lawmakers, healthcare providers, law enforcement and the general community towards a common vision of a healthy and safe Colorado.
“The average heroin injector injects three to five times a day… the average meth injector, once or twice a day,” Raville said. “People prioritize business bathrooms first for a few reasons. They can close the door so people don’t come upon them, people won’t see them and they have access to sterile water.”
“In the past, we’ve had some facilities that had no restroom door at Civic Center Station,” Jaquez said. “We modified our doors so that they still provide privacy, but also allow for security guards going into the bathrooms to check on the well-being of people.”
RTD said the recent removal of the stall doors in the bus concourse is temporary. The same modified doors are on back-order and should be installed in January.
“We want people to be safe and secure in our buildings,” Jaquez said. “We understand that this is a little bit of an inconvenience right now, but it’s temporary.”