Grata's Guide: Most likely litterers are 11 to 34 years old

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Grata's Guide: Most likely litterers are 11 to 34 years old

Sunday, October 10, 1999

By Joe Grata, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has profiled the slobs who litter our roads with fast-food containers, soda cans, beer bottles and paper scraps.

In suburban and rural areas, the "litter survey" showed that the 11- to 34-year-old age group deliberately tosses the most garbage.

In cities, the survey said the kids start even earlier -- at age 5. They must do it on their way to and from preschool or kindergarten, or throw it out the windows of their parents' cars, because they certainly aren't driving.

Here are some other PennDOT findings:

More males (78 percent) than females are responsible for littering.

More litter is thrown from pickup trucks (32 percent) than from cars (29 percent).

In urban areas, 19 percent of litter is takeout food and drink containers, while 24 percent is gum, candy and other snack wrappers.

PennDOT said the survey consisted of sampling 101 sites from June 7 to 18 in 37 counties, including Allegheny.

A news release notes that the results "are considered preliminary," as if the final results are going to be a surprise or make a difference. It does not say who did the survey or what it cost, but it does give us a chance to do something.

If you see people littering, even if it's a 5-year-old brat, call the toll-free number (800) LITTER-BUG and report them. You'll be asked to give the license plate number of the vehicle carrying the slobs.

Parkway signs. Matthew Kessler, who now lives in Cambria County, regularly drives "back home to the South Hills." When he GOes through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on the Parkway East, he sees signs for Chatham College, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

"Why aren't there signs like that coming from the west?" he asked in an e-mail. "I've wondered how difficult it must be for visitors and parents coming from outside of the state."

Route 30 signs. Olga Herbert of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor says 87 /igns have been installed marking the historic Route 30-Lincoln Highway corridor from Greensburg to Chambersburg, including 28 signs in Westmoreland County.

The signs designate the original route, which is not always in the same place as today's Route 30. In the early part of the century, red-white-and-blue signs with a large "L" were tacked to utility poles, trees and barns to mark the route of this first coast-to-coast highway. In 1928, the signs were replaced with more than 3,000 concrete markers, less than two dozen of which remain today. Want more info? Call the heritage group's office at 724-837-9750.

Safety signs. PennDOT's District 10, based in Indiana, has a new sign that it hopes will catch drivers' attention and prompt them to slow down in highway construction zones.

The first sign, written in "children's crayon text," reads: "Slow down. My daddy works here." The orange-and-black sign has been posted along the westbound side of an I-80 construction zone near Brookville, Jefferson County.

Being the equal opportunity employer that it is, a sign to be posted on the westbound side of I-80 during work next year is to say: "Slow down. My mommy works here."

New license plates. An anonymous caller wants to know why there's only one spot designated on the new state license plates to affix 10 years or more worth of those little reflective stickers verifying that you've paid your vehicle registration renewal bill for the year.

The old yellow plates, being replaced first, had little indented spots in two corners, the one in the upper left for stickers issued in odd years, and the one in the upper right for stickers issued in even years. Plates issued since 1983 have had only one spot -- the lower, left corner -- for renewal stickers.

PennDOT has finally decided what it thinks is the best corner -- the upper left corner, so there will be no confusion in the millennium. If you get a buildup of too many layers of renewal stickers, "peel them off before you put a new one on," PennDOT spokeswoman Laura Templeton said.

Gas tax dollars not working. Melanie Mosorjak of Chalfant is frustrated over the lousy shape of Ardmore Boulevard (Route 30) in Forest Hills and the Tri-Boro Expressway (Route 130) in Turtle Creek.

"I have called PennDOT to complain, but nothing is ever done," she wrote. "They're both in very bad condition, heavily traveled, and only get a temporary patch every once in awhile. New surfaces are badly needed and would add value to the two areas."

Mosorjak points out that even if the local municipalities had the money, they aren't permitted to fix state-owned roads. "They can't even keep their neighborhood roads paved," she said.

Response. Call PennDOT Secretary Brad Mallory direct at (717)787-5574, and get as many friends and residents as you can to call him, too. At a "Transportation Media Day" held in Harrisburg in May, he told reporters two important things: "What our customers want from us most is smooth pavement." And, "We want to treat our customers the same as L.L. Bean."

But if you're a dissatisfied customer, PennDOT won't refund your money.

Plate du jour. Spotted on a car parked at the Mon Wharf, the Pennsylvania license plate CAKE LDY. Does she bake pies and cookies, too?

Factoid. If you don't receive a new state license plate soon, this is why: The oldest, yellow-coated plates will be replaced first. PennDOT won't finish replacing 8 million standard-issue blue plates until June 2002, with the phase-in starting in July 2000. Vehicle owners who have postal ZIP codes ending with odd numbers will be last.

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 your name, address and phone number.