Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 1, 1993                   TAG: 9306010230
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SIGNS OF CHANGE

Well, the ERA didn't pass, but men and women soon will be sharing more restroom facilities in Virginia anyway.

The state's transportation board has said gas stations will no longer have to provide separate restrooms for males and females if they want to advertise on state highway signs. (Neither, incidentally, will they have to offer motorists free air for their tires.)

Easing the restroom requirements will allow more stations to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act and also participate in the sign program. The federal law requires that public restrooms be equipped for disabled travelers.

But because disabilities-friendly restrooms require extra space, some gas stations have not been able to meet the transportation board's potty-parity standards for advertisements. Voila! Unisex facilities are the fair solution.

We doubt that too many seasoned travelers will object. Men and women have been sharing restrooms on airplanes almost since the day Wilbur and Orville got off the ground.

By the way, the transportation board is also raising the fee for gas stations to advertise on state signs. The extra revenue will be used to properly maintain the signs. Presumably, this will be profitable for the gas stations if the advertising brings in more customers off the interstates.

But let's hope the stations use a portion of those profits to properly maintain the toilets.