Grata's Guide: Waterless turnpike urinals leave reader smelling a rat

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Grata's Guide: Waterless turnpike urinals leave reader smelling a rat

Sunday, October 03, 1999

By Joe Grata, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Last Sunday's column about the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission installing high-tech, waterless urinals in the men's restrooms of its new $32 million administration building under construction near Harrisburg left some readers feeling flush.

Among the peeved was Paul Golden of Oakmont. He wondered about the "patronage cronies" the politically appointed turnpike commissioners will choose to supply the environmentally approved liquid chemical to be used in place of water to sanitize the system.

"The whole idea looks and smells mighty suspicious to me," he wrote. "I feel flush."

So does Stewart M. Lee, an economics professor emeritus at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, who asked if the toll road bosses can spend that kind of money on urinals, why can't they spend a few dollars for two items of interest to travelers?

For some time, Lee has been suggesting -- without results -- signs showing the elevation of several turnpike summits, a feature on Interstate 68 south of the Pennsylvania border, and signs identifying a pedestrian overpass at Laurel Mountain summit as part of the Laurel Highlands Trail, along the Westmoreland-Somerset county line.

James M. McNamara of Monroeville, a regular turnpike traveler, said that while the highway is well-maintained and easy to use, the toll collection process remained rooted in the dark ages.

A turnpike that advances men's urinals to 21st century technology should be able to find a better way than operating toll plazas like "old-fashioned bank teller windows," he wrote, frustrated at the backups that have extended out the exit ramp and onto the turnpike at the Monroeville Interchange, creating dangerous situations.

McNamara realizes that it will take the turnpike a while longer -- and a lot more money -- to implement the modern toll collection system it has been studying and talking about ad infinitum. He suggested taking some small steps that might speed things up at the busiest toll plazas in urban areas.

"How about having one or two 'Exact Change Only' gates?" he wrote. "Or maybe a gate reserved for those who travel only one interchange and are willing to pay with exact change? You could use unmanned collection baskets at these gates. Or is the unmanned gate issue a problem for the Turnpike Commission?"

Pike promo. Hey, Pitt, you got a problem with this? The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is advertising on the Penn State Football Radio Network, heard in Pittsburgh on WEAE ESPN Radio (1250 AM).

Turnpike marketing director Bill Capone characterized the ads as part of a bartering arrangement. The turnpike gets free radio spots when the Nittany Lions play. Penn State gets full-page promotional sports ads in "The Turnpike Traveler," a quarterly newspaper available free at service plazas and other locations. Capone said no money was exchanged.

Being good sports, turnpike bosses are expanding their coverage to football and basketball games at 14 state-owned universities. In exchange for 10- to 15-second plugs over the public address system, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will get free ad space in the turnpike publication.

PAT promo. The Port Authority paid $3,200 for the most spectacular ad in a recent 25th anniversary edition of the American Public Transit Association, a weekly newspaper of the transit industry. William W. Millar, who left as Port Authority executive director two years ago, is the APTA president and chief executive officer.

The special gold-and-silver colored posterlike pullout wishes APTA a "Happy Silver Anniversary" while telling everyone, "We're Going Gold," a reference to the authority's "gold standard of service" marketing-promotions campaign.

Port Authority spokeswoman Judi McNeil said the ad money didn't come from fares or tax subsidies, but from revenue the authority earns from advertising it sells on buses, trolleys and elsewhere. It's the same way the authority pays for television, radio and newspaper ads in Pittsburgh.

Can anybody help? Ed Bridges has lived in West Deer for 23 years and has checked with people who have lived there for more than 70 years. But nobody can remember the last time their version of the Burma Road was repaved.

"Patching and tar-and-chips don't count as repaving, because it still leaves bumps," he said. "We want to find out what year it was initially paved, because we want to have an anniversary on the centennial. We think it is the only road in the U.S. to go that long without repaving."

The road is designated State Route 1015 but is locally named Little Deer Creek Valley Road, between Russellton Road and Saxonburg Boulevard.

Bridges has extended an invitation: "Come out and ruin your front end."

Playing the game. Several weeks ago, I suggested spotting personalized license plates as an interesting way to pass the time on long trips.

Jon Kostuch of North Huntingdon was one reader who accepted the challenge when he drove to Illinois to visit his mom and pop.

He sent along five interesting "plates du jour" from Ohio, but none from Illinois or Indiana. "I guess they aren't as vain," he said.

His list of Ohio license plates: CRITTR, BLU JNS, KMUSABE, MARICE X2 and UK FAN2. Before he left for his trip, two Pennsylvania plates caught his eye: UDSERV IT and CR CRASH.

I spotted this one Wednesday in Rostraver - -- 98 SNAKE -- on a Ford Cobra.

Send your transportation questions, complaints and suggestions to Joe Grata c/o The Post-Gazette, or e-mail him at jgrata@post-gazette.com. Please include address and phone number.

Joe Grata is a Post-Gazette staff writer