Dear Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission,
As someone who routinely travels nearly the entire span of
the Pennsylvania Turnpike at least twice a year I understand that running such a road is not without its
challenges.
I have lived with the endless construction projects, the
lane closures, the uneven pavement, the potholes, and the fee increases. To say I did so “cheerfully” might be an
overstatement, but anyone who knows me will attest that I endured all of this
with a resigned contentment. All in all,
I have been a darn good sport about it.
Dare I say that I have even gone so far as defending you
publicly, saying for all to hear that the Turnpike is a good enough way to get
to your destination. With all your faults, it certainly beats air travel as a
transportation option. There are many
reasons for this but primarily it is because no one on the Turnpike ever requires
you to remove your shoes.
I am actually a big fan of your rest stops. Like everything in life they aren't perfect,
but they are convenient, and provide the only thing I have every really asked
of you: a place to go the bathroom when the need arises.
Now I know that you are fully aware that Thanksgiving
weekend is your heaviest travel weekend of the year. Your very own Travel Advisory issued prior to
the weekend warned us of possible delays and stated: "Traffic volumes will be heaviest [over Thanksgiving] Wednesday
from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 8 p.m."*
So surely you might have anticipated that one of these
possible traffic delays could have taken place on the 77-mile stretch of road
without any available restroom options that perhaps hundreds of thousands of us
would be traveling on the Sunday after Thanksgiving while traveling east on the
Turnpike.
While I intellectually appreciate that the Midway Rest Stop
was closed for renovations due to your fervor to improve the rest
stops, I have long been of the opinion that a substandard rest stop is better
than none at all. I have never been
surer of this than I am after my experience that Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Your sign warning “Last Rest Stop for 77 Miles” was
insufficient given the gridlock
traffic we encountered shortly after passing that sign and given the fact that
there was NOT EVEN ONE Exit along that long and seemingly endless 77 miles.
Suffice it to say that I really REALLY needed to go to the
bathroom by the time I reached the Somerset rest stop. I found that I was not alone in my need when
I arrived there and got in a line of at least 50 women waiting to get into the
Ladies room.
You had one job, Turnpike Commission, and you failed me. What could
you have done in this instance, you ask?
The answer is so simple that I am surprised it didn't occur to you. RENT SOME PORTA-POTTIES for the emergency
pull-over areas in the 77-mile stretch of road without any other rest room
options on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Honestly, Mr. John would be happy to set you up with some
temporary bathroom solutions. PM me and I’ll give you their number.
Love,
Rip
amen.
ReplyDeleteAh, interstate/turnpike rest stops. I 89 runs from the Canadian border in western VT down across the state into New Hampshire. It is 191.12 miles long. There are 3 rest areas along its length. At one point, there were fewer than that. People objected to rest areas because they cost money to maintain and the blighted the pristine VT scenery. And then a funny thing happened. People who couldn't make it all the way to New Hampshire were pulling to the side of the road and running into the trees...! (I realize this couldn't be done on the PA Turnpike,) Horror! Why this was unsanitary! What could be done!?!?! Maybe they could reopen rest rooms. Although I still suspect that with only 3 in 191.12 miles there are most likely still some people running into the trees/1
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how Vermonters think.
DeleteP.S. I 90 across the state of New York has the best restrooms I've encountered. Clean and numerous!
ReplyDeleteHmm, Pittsburgh to New Jersey via I90 in New York...
DeleteI realize that I 90 as a route to get to NJ from Pgh would be a bit unrealistic but you would be amazed at the lengths (literally) we go to avoid the PA Turnpike. I suspect most Vermonters think only after they run into the trees. Ask Sharon about the mute swans. I once almost caused a riot because I suggested (in jest) that rest areas in VT (there are a couple that have no "facilities") should have neon lights and loud music so they would actually provide drivers with a rest from the unrelentingly beautiful verdant scenery!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Anonymous. I will never forget the story about the mute swans. Oh, by the way, I AM Sharon. ;-)
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