The TTC showcased the pristine-looking washroom at Finch station earlier today in an effort to draw some attention to a project that will see such facilities improved and ugraded along the entire subway line. As far as press conferences go, it was hard to know where to place this one. As ridiculous as it seems to be covering the toilet beat, anyone who's suffered the ignominy of using a TTC washroom for more than 30 seconds knows that improvement in this area is oddly a big deal.

Janitors were mopping up and wiping down sinks as media gathered, all eager to take a peak (get a sniff?) of the revitalized washroom — which I'm happy to report would have made Mr. Clean himself proud. TTC Chair Karen Stintz and newly crowned CEO Andy Byford made sure to establish that this is all part of a recommitment to customer service, which sounds fair enough as long as the place stays clean. I'm thinking an unannounced check-up visit in a couple of weeks is in order, no?

Although the bathrooms at Finch have been open since February 6, today's get together was as much about the plans to renovate — and sanitize — the other public relief options along the line. Customers can look forward to the following upgrades at various TTC washrooms in the coming months:

• Wall tile replacement
• Floor finishes
• Hand dryers
• Heater replacements
• New urinals
• New ventilation that exceeds Ontario Building Code requirements
• New patritions


• Lighting and signage upgrades


All this sounds great, but perhaps the most significant change will come in the form of increased attention to maintenance. The frequency with which washrooms will now be restocked and cleaned has been bumped to every 90 minutes from the scary 4.5 hour interval that was previously mandated.

So while this washroom isn't as impressive as the automated pay toilet on Queen's Quay, it's still an obvious improvement. What do you think? Is this a step in the right direction for TTC customer service?

MORE PHOTOS