N E W S   R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Craig D. Brooks, Executive Director
Joint Conservation Committee (JCC)
(717) 787-7570

Rep. Scott E. Hutchinson (R-64)
Chairman, JCC
(814) 677-6363
(717) 783-8188

STATEWIDE SURVEY SHOWS ROADSIDE AESTHETICS IS ON THE MINDS OF PENNSYLVANIANS…AND THAT IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED

HARRISBURG (June 20, 2006) – Trash and litter along roadways catch Pennsylvanians’ eyes, and they are bothered by it.

Highway landscaping across the state also draws attention and it could be better.

These are among the results of the Mansfield University Statewide Survey released today by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee (JCC). The telephone survey polled 1,102 Pennsylvanians on roadside aesthetics questions, which were sponsored by the JCC.

The JCC has joined with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful (KPB) in seeking to improve roadside aesthetics in Pennsylvania and cosponsored a 2005 Roadside Aesthetics summit meeting. KPB is a statewide alliance working to promote and protect Pennsylvania’s natural and community environments by cleaning up and preventing litter and illegal dumps, enhancing and beautifying Pennsylvania communities and promoting proper waste handling.

The survey showed that 85.9 percent of those polled noticed litter and trash along Pennsylvania roadways and that 90.4 percent of those responding are bothered by roadside litter and trash.

The largest percentage of respondents (69.5 percent) is bothered “a lot” by the roadside litter, and 53.4 percent notice it “often”, more than any other group.

According to the results, Pennsylvania’s litter problem is not inconsequential. A total of 71.1 percent thought there was either “a lot” or “some” litter, with 31.7 percent believing there was a lot. Only 23.0 percent felt there was only a “little” litter along Pennsylvania roads.
Highway landscaping also catches people’s attention. More than 73 percent (73.2 percent) noticed landscaping along the commonwealth’s highways, with the single largest group (39.2 percent) noticing it “often.”

A majority (53.2 percent) felt that beautifying Pennsylvania’s roadways would help to improve business and tourism in Pennsylvania.
“Given the importance Pennsylvanians place on roadside aesthetics and its perceived impact on economic growth, you would think we would want to do the best job we could,” said JCC chair Rep. Scott E. Hutchinson (R-64). “Pennsylvania makes such an effort on Earth Day and during the Great Pennsylvania Clean Up, and through such programs as Adopt-A-Highway, but it is apparent a more concerted and comprehensive campaign is needed.”

Hutchinson noted that responses indicated that there is room for improvement in both litter/trash cleanup and highway landscaping in Pennsylvania.  Respondents said that Pennsylvania is certainly no cleaner than other states and worse than some, with 59.9 percent stating that Pennsylvania either has more (23.1 percent) or about the same (36.8 percent) amount of litter as other states. Only 12.2 percent thought Pennsylvania had less litter.

Similarly, 54.6 percent of those responding called the quality of the commonwealth’s landscaping merely “average.” While 63.7 percent felt that the quality of Pennsylvania’s landscaping was “about the same” as other states, it is interesting to note that a slightly higher percentage (18.8 percent) rated the state’s performance worse than other states as opposed to better (17.5 percent).

The state’s welcome centers got the highest landscaping grades with 33.1 percent ranking the centers “high”. Town gateways received only a 21.6 percent “high” rating.

To control litter and trash, Pennsylvanians put little faith in enforcement or education alone. Only 5.5 percent thought increased education alone was effective, and only 9.4 percent favored increased fines as a sole solution. A large percentage (69.4 percent) also thought roadside signs (such as Littering Fine $300 or Adopt-A-Highway) did little to stop littering.

Close to 15 percent (14.6) called for getting help from local people and groups and advocated (70.6 percent) a combination of such local involvement, enforcement and education as the most effective way to control litter and trash.

“The JCC intends to share these survey results with KPB and state agencies such as PennDOT and others to foster interest and support for a real roadside aesthetics program in Pennsylvania,” Hutchinson said.

The Mansfield University Statewide Survey has a margin of error of +/- three percent. The annual surveys began in 1990, and poll randomly selected Pennsylvania adults. The 2006 survey was conducted under the direction of Mansfield University Sociology Professor Dr. Timothy Madigan.