TRUCKS' STOPS * Canada - Truckers petition for more rest areas

It's a lot of country to travel and the number of washroom facilities along the way -- particularly in Ontario -- is inadequate, and only getting worse

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -11 May 2009: -- Lynn Barlow would like to see more roadside washroom facilities along Canada's highway network and she won't rest until, well, it becomes more convenient... Barlow and her husband Terry have been driving team for 13 years. The Manitoulin Transport company drivers are based out of Calgary and typically run a lane between Calgary and Toronto, before heading home through Edmonton... It's a lot of country to travel and Barlow says the number of washroom facilities along the way -- particularly in Ontario -- is inadequate, and only getting worse... Barlow is prone to kidney infections and not having to hold her bladder for long periods of time helps lessen the chances of an infection. But rather than get dismissed as, "some whiny lady who doesn't want to hold it," Barlow is hoping the need for more rest areas -- for reasons ranging from bathroom breaks to complying with hours of service safely -- appeals to enough people that the ministry will take notice... (So far, 400 drivers signed a petition that urges for more rest stops between Ontario and Alberta)