Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler has sent a personal message to all 12,000 PennDOT employees statewide, imploring them to "demonstrate our true values."

He was reacting to a Pittsburgh television special report about goofing off, loafing on the job and conducting personal business on public time.

Biehler said the WTAE-TV investigation, led by reporter Jim Parsons and aired on May 4 news shows, was painful for him to watch.

Taxpayers, too.

Parsons and "TEAM 4" observed as a PennDOT foreman shopped, ate and went home in the first two hours of his shift; interviewed an employee who felt guilty about accepting a paycheck for 75 hours when, he said, he actually did five hours worth of work; saw another foreman buying beer while workers hung around in the maintenance yard doing nothing; and discovered 20 PennDOT people driving trucks had alcohol or drug-related convictions in Allegheny or Westmoreland counties.

"I talked to [Jim Parsons] personally and thanked him for bringing this to our attention," Biehler wrote in his letter to employees. "We all know the organization is too good to stand silent in the face of such accusations ... [and] because I know the good work that the vast majority of our employees do every day."

Employees who saw problems but felt they had no place to turn except the media bothered Biehler.

"I am saddened that people feel that way," Biehler wrote. "All of our people should feel free to consult with supervisors about problems they encounter."

PennDOT is putting into place voice-mail lines for whistle blowers to leave concerns, complaints and problems, starting with Districts 11 and 12, which cover seven counties in our southwestern corner of the state.

One PennDOT employee has been suspended and disciplinary action is pending against others as a result of the WTAE report.

That's the way it has been in the past after PennDOT confirmed media reports, including many in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about public employees engaging in egregious behavior and dereliction of duty.

That's the way it should be.

Transportation Month. There's no formal proclamation, but transportation types from all parts of North America will converge on Pittsburgh next month.

The city will be the site of three transportation conferences during the first two weeks: the 44th National Conference of The American Society of Highway Engineers, June 2-4, based at Sheraton Station Square Hotel; American Public Transit Association 2005 Rail Transit Conference, June 5-8, the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel; and the 22nd annual International Bridge Conference, June 13-15, also at the Hilton.

The engineering group is expecting 600 consultants, engineers, contractors, suppliers and public agency representatives at the kickoff conference, which will feature 21 technical sessions, 60 exhibitors, five tours of Pittsburgh points of interest, dinner at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and, most importantly, the music of the Vogues at the final banquet.

Route 28 fix. Ed Kalix, of New Kensington, wanted to know why PennDOT had not changed the overhead signs on Route 28 south in Etna to indicate that both lanes are open to "thru" traffic.

"I've seen many close calls from confused people switching from lane to lane, especially truck drivers not familiar with the area," he e-mailed me.

Dear Ed:

The new signs were scheduled to be installed before the new second lane was opened on the Route 28 south overpass, but the contractor was unable to match them to the overhead structures that are to hold the signs. New parts have been ordered.

Once I forwarded your information, PennDOT District 11 engineer Brad Miller saw to it that the existing sign was temporarily modified on the very same day by covering parts to eliminate the confusion. Alle-Kiski Valley motorists thank both of you.

Porn Authority? While recently visiting a health fair in the Strip District, Mark Lape picked up Port Authority material listing a Web site for information about using bike racks on buses.

When he got to his Green Tree home and entered the site on his computer, he was connected to a porn site.

"This might not have been funny if I had asked my 12-year-old to look this up or if we decided to check the site out together," he e-mailed. "I presume no one at the Port Authority knows about this."

Dear Mark:

How embarrassing. When the authority changed the name of its bike rack service, it no longer had use for the domain name for the separate Web site, so it dropped it. The brochures were reprinted, directing people to www.ridegold.com, the Port Authority's Web site.

The Port Authority has asked people to discard the old brochures and promotional material. Thanks for the heads up.

Elsewhere. The National Park Service is putting 18 hybrid electric and diesel buses into service at Yosemite National Park in California, the first national park to use the environmentally friendly buses. They're the same type of low-floor buses, built by the same company, as the six hybrids being phased into service by the Port Authority.

Believe it! Of all interstate highways in the United States, three run from coast to coast: Interstate 10, Interstate 80 and Interstate 90. The latter two cut through Pennsylvania.

Plate du jour. Andy Dressel, of Bethel Park, recently spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate RAN 50MI. Hope he was talking about the driver, not the car.