Locks

One thing that strikes about many government and public buildings is…. locks.

We seem to just love locking rooms, gates, toilets, fences…. preventing access to, and usage of, spaces, is the primary function of a lock. I have seen in many public spaces that the ladies’ toilets are locked, even when the gents’ are open. It’s ladies who require public toilets even more than men do (sorry to say this, but men can, and do, use the nearest wall or bush), so it’s the unwillingness of those who have to clean and maintain them, that results in their being locked.

However, locks are ubiquitous. I have seen locks on fences, gates, arches, a library for railway employees in New Delhi Railway Station usable rooms, pubic buildings… the list is very long.

Prevention of access to, and usage of, spaces, is the primary function of a lock. I wonder just how much of such space is wasted by our all-pervasive, forbidding-looking, people-unfriendly locks!

Tags: difficulties, observations, travel, usage