It doesn’t take a whizz to realize that public urination is a nasty quality-of-life issue in New York. Few things are as irritating as stepping in a puddle with your new shoes, only to catch a whiff of the distinct odor a split second too late to realize that’s not rainwater you just stepped in. Sadly, however, a new report from the NYPD’s Quality of Life Division says that public urination reports have gone up 47 percent in a year, from 214 complaints in April of 2025 to 316 complaints this April. So, how do New Yorkers feel about jerks who are only looking out for number one and don’t care where they make, well, number one?
710 WOR’s Beat on the Street reporter Natalie Migliore hit the streets by Columbus Circle to find out for the Curtis Sliwa and Larry Mndte in the Morning program. She was very careful where she stepped as she asked New Yorkers what they think of the growing stream of people who use the streets as their personal toilet.
One woman told Migliore that she looks around on the sidewalks so she doesn’t step in something she’ll later regret: “When I am in this area, and in New York City in general, I definitely notice that I do need to keep looking down and be more aware of steeping in urine or stepping in trash or stuff like that.”
Another woman said she had the solution to the problem- find a place of business and, well, do your business: “You can go to Starbucks (or) Nordstrom’s, especially in the city, There’s always a place to go, The issue is just people being nasty.”
Yet another woman told Migliore that even a threat of increased fines may not be enough to stop some people: “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to deter them because when nature calls, you can’t give it a busy signal, if you know what I mean.”
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