Are Rest Areas Obsolete?

[wxfree]

Texas doesn't think so.  Many of the old ones have been rebuilt as "enhanced" rest areas.  There's a new one at the top of Ranger Hill along I-20.  I stopped there when I went to photograph the new freeway construction.  The enhanced areas don't just have a small building.  It's a nice building, and fairly large.  They have information displays and unique items, and a small system of trails leading to benches and covered picnic tables.  The restrooms are accessed from inside the building, not directly from outside.  The one on Ranger Hill has a storm shelter and a security office.  I don't know how common that is, as I rarely visit them.  They all have 24-hour video monitoring.  I think they have wireless Internet service.    The new state travel maps have these enhanced rest areas marked with a special symbol, to distinguish them from the older ones.  It appears that most of them aren't new, but replace older ones. The only one I've really looked at is new.  The two old ones south of Dallas and Fort Worth along the I-35 branches were replaced with a single facility farther south, along the unified I-35, which saves some money.

This is a brochure for them.  It has a map, as well as exterior and interior photos.  They're really quite nice.  As I recall, the one at Ranger Hill has an old car, dating back to the early days of the highway system.  This relates to the old Bankhead Highway and State Highway 1, a portion of which is preserved at the edge of the area, where it diverges from the Interstate to follow a curvy route down the steep hill.
http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/library/pubs/travel/sra_brochure.pdf

[Revive 755]

IMHO rest areas are not obsolete:

1) As noted by others, they allow a quick bathroom stop without having the expectation of buying something.

2) They make a nice place to check voicemail and return phone calls in states that require hands free phone use.

3) They provide easy places to just stop and stretch or check a map, maybe grab a quick nap.

4) As also noted by others, they are a nice easy place to picnic - very helpful when indoor dining is not allowed.

[lepidopteran]

The rest area on I-95 SB near Laurel, MD was modified several years ago to (at least) double the number of parking spaces for tractor-trailers.  The spaces are diagonal, and arranged so that they do not need to back up to go in or out.  Across the highway, the NB area still has a smaller number of truck spaces.  As such, on some nights there are multiple semis parked along the ramps, often including both sides of the off-ramp.

So as long as there are large numbers of long-haul truckers whose delivery times exceed that of a standard hours-of-service block, there will be a need for rest areas.  Unless some entrepreneur comes up with a commercial truck lot idea for a minimal fee (or membership by the trucking company).

There is a truck-only rest area on I-70 EB in Frederick County, MD (No Facilities, No Car Parking).  It only has like 8 spaces, though.

[PastTense]

Iowa plans to close 8 of its 38 rest stops over the next few years:

https://nonpareilonline.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa-dot-set-to-close-six-western-iowa-rest-areas/article_94905cbf-f82e-5b4e-90db-86c8bdbc1219.html

[1995hoo]

I was going to say that I'd expect Indiana to build a welcome center on I-69 once the bridge is done, but didn't Indiana recently remove a welcome center on I-64?

Kentucky has been replacing some of its rest areas with new buildings. They did the welcome center on I-65 a few years ago, and I-75 just recently.

Tennessee only recently added welcome centers on I-26 despite that road having had interstate status for years.

If I go into a restaurant or convenience store-truck stop to use the restroom, I feel no obligation to buy anything, unless there's a sign saying "For Paying Customers Only." If people leeching restroom facilities is a problem for these businesses, they can always install pay toilets.

Speaking of, wonder if there are any still in existence?

Been 30+ years since I've seen one in the US.  They are everywhere in Europe that I've been to.

I have been to Love's truck stops all over the country and have yet to run across a bad restroom for me or my wife.   Don't really recall any bad ones amongst the national chains either.

I haven't seen a pay toilet in the US, but what I have sometimes seen are secured restrooms intended to ensure that only actual customers can use them. You have to insert a token or enter a code to access the restroom. The McDonald's near 20th & M NW in DC is like that, for example, and it's intended to prevent homeless people and panhandlers from using the restroom and preventing customers from doing so.

I once paid AFTER using a pay restroom in Helsinki because my bladder was about to explode from drinking beer. The attendant was trying not to laugh too hard when I paid on the way out after seeing me go sprinting by on the way in.



I agree with all the comments in this thread that rest areas are not obsolete. About ten or twelve years ago, Virginia closed most of its rest areas to save money (they've since reopened) and the Governor said that people could stop at McDonald's or elsewhere. One comment I saw frequently in the media was, "Evidently the Governor doesn't have kids. Try stopping just for a restroom break at McDonald's with kids in the car." (Which, of course, creates a vicious circle: The food and drink you'd wind up buying would lead to the kids having to use the toilet again.)

[SEWIGuy]

Wisconsin has been getting rid of their more rustic ones on two lane roads.  These are usually seasonal with outhouses for toilet.  But the ones on interstates are very nice, year round and still pretty busy when I've used them.

[jmacswimmer]

There is a truck-only rest area on I-70 EB in Frederick County, MD (No Facilities, No Car Parking).  It only has like 8 spaces, though.

I've long suspected that this, along with the WB weigh station between exits 76 & 80, used to be full rest areas, but I've never been able to find any proof of this.  Both have what appear to be abandoned car parking lots behind the truck parking spaces.

[sprjus4]

^ Can't find anything currently on the WB weigh station, but 1979 topography imagery on HistoricalAerials shows the eastbound truck-only rest area labeled as "Rest Area".

[hbelkins]

I haven't seen a pay toilet in the US, but what I have sometimes seen are secured restrooms intended to ensure that only actual customers can use them. You have to insert a token or enter a code to access the restroom. The McDonald's near 20th & M NW in DC is like that, for example, and it's intended to prevent homeless people and panhandlers from using the restroom and preventing customers from doing so.

I encountered this at the White Castle in downtown Louisville. A code is printed on your food receipt to punch into the door to get access to the restroom. Which makes it difficult if you need to use it, or wash your hands, before you order.

[SP Cook]

I do not think rest areas are obsolete. 

"Obsolete" means that something new has come along to replace the previous.  VCRs are obsolete.  AFAIK the bathroom functions of motorists are the same as they were in the past. 

Further, rest areas have many superior characteristics contrasted to gas stations.

- They generally involve less stop to back on the road time than an exit to a store.
- They take pressure off the exit ramps. 
- They provide a place for official state information to be distributed.
- In most states, they provide a place to nap, picnic, walk dogs, and other things stores won't offer.
- In an ideal world, they are consistent.  With the exception of some brands with high standards, gas stations can be hit or miss.  Rest areas are, or at least should be, uniformly at least acceptable.
- They provide a place for trucks with sleeper cabs.
- It is at least somewhat rude to use a businesses toilet without buying something.
- They should be safe.  When traveling in an unfamiliar region, taking an exit for a store, especially at night, is sometimes risky.  Rest areas should be patrolled and lighted, and generally are only accessable by motorists.

[HighwayStar]

Apologies in advance if this rant triggers someone, but HighwayStar feels strongly about this subject, and first found this forum for that reason  

Rest areas are not obsolete.

I am not entirely sure where this idea came from, but I do think the pattern of states abandoning and demolishing rest areas is a major factor. So let me go through what I consider the "standard" argument before I demolish it (taken from reading a lot of articles where some state functionary bureaucrat pedals a line on why they are closing rest areas).

Rest areas were built in the early days of the highway system, when services were few and far between for motorists,but now most exits have services so we don't need rest areas anymore.

Now, to this I have several objections. First, the idea that services were ever few and far between in many areas, particularly the northeastern states, which were substantially as heavily settled and developed (and in some cases even more so) 70 years ago as they are today. Perhaps there is more next to highways, but the idea that there was nothing in that era is questionable at best. And passenger miles are also much higher than they were at that time, making the need for services greater on the whole as well.
Second is the idea that having a McDonald's and a Cenex at every exit replaces the function of a rest area. Rest areas were originally meant to, as the name suggests, rest. That includes bathrooms for people, some area to air pets if  you have them with you, and some neat roadside information for the trip. Picnic areas, which of course overlap with rest areas, were intended for roadside picnics. The fast food/gas station on the side of an exit has bathrooms, but rarely pet facilities, good roadside information, or even just a nice place to stretch your legs. And as much as I love McDonald's and believe in it as a great American institution, it is not the same experience as a roadside picnic. So from this its clear that the function of rest areas is not really identical to their supposed replacements, casting doubt on the idea that they are "obsolete."

But beyond this what I really don't like about the "rest areas are obsolete" line is the fact that it is more of an excuse to cover for the fact that we, as a country, have become too broke to pay for decent roadside rest areas for the public. States talk of cutting rest areas to save money, and the amount saved is in the scope of things trivial, and not even close to offset by the other grossly wasteful spending that goes on year after year. This is also related to a certain mindset of privatization that took off in the aftermath of the 60's where there was a drive to remove public services wherever possible and put them in private hands to make them more exclusive, which I never cared for.

And as a final point, I must say that closing rest areas due to crime is even worse than for funding reasons. The answer to too much crime at rest areas is not to punish the entire traveling public by closing them, but to crack down on the perpetrators and clean house.

Sorry for the rant 

[hobsini2]

Apologies in advance if this rant triggers someone, but HighwayStar feels strongly about this subject, and first found this forum for that reason  

Rest areas are not obsolete.

I am not entirely sure where this idea came from, but I do think the pattern of states abandoning and demolishing rest areas is a major factor. So let me go through what I consider the "standard" argument before I demolish it (taken from reading a lot of articles where some state functionary bureaucrat pedals a line on why they are closing rest areas).

Rest areas were built in the early days of the highway system, when services were few and far between for motorists,but now most exits have services so we don't need rest areas anymore.

Now, to this I have several objections. First, the idea that services were ever few and far between in many areas, particularly the northeastern states, which were substantially as heavily settled and developed (and in some cases even more so) 70 years ago as they are today. Perhaps there is more next to highways, but the idea that there was nothing in that era is questionable at best. And passenger miles are also much higher than they were at that time, making the need for services greater on the whole as well.
Second is the idea that having a McDonald's and a Cenex at every exit replaces the function of a rest area. Rest areas were originally meant to, as the name suggests, rest. That includes bathrooms for people, some area to air pets if  you have them with you, and some neat roadside information for the trip. Picnic areas, which of course overlap with rest areas, were intended for roadside picnics. The fast food/gas station on the side of an exit has bathrooms, but rarely pet facilities, good roadside information, or even just a nice place to stretch your legs. And as much as I love McDonald's and believe in it as a great American institution, it is not the same experience as a roadside picnic. So from this its clear that the function of rest areas is not really identical to their supposed replacements, casting doubt on the idea that they are "obsolete."

But beyond this what I really don't like about the "rest areas are obsolete" line is the fact that it is more of an excuse to cover for the fact that we, as a country, have become too broke to pay for decent roadside rest areas for the public. States talk of cutting rest areas to save money, and the amount saved is in the scope of things trivial, and not even close to offset by the other grossly wasteful spending that goes on year after year. This is also related to a certain mindset of privatization that took off in the aftermath of the 60's where there was a drive to remove public services wherever possible and put them in private hands to make them more exclusive, which I never cared for.

And as a final point, I must say that closing rest areas due to crime is even worse than for funding reasons. The answer to too much crime at rest areas is not to punish the entire traveling public by closing them, but to crack down on the perpetrators and clean house.

Sorry for the rant 

Much better rant than the I-70 not going to Baltimore rant.

I would not discount any of those points you made. I would also add that the push to "privatize" government has added to this.

[Scott5114]

I like stopping at gas stations but sometimes they are handy when you really gotta go jump out of the car and someone has occupied it!

How often does someone forcibly occupy your car, that you've had to find out through trial and error that gas stations are handy for dealing with the situation?

[HighwayStar]

Much better rant than the I-70 not going to Baltimore rant.

I would not discount any of those points you made. I would also add that the push to "privatize" government has added to this.

In this day and age it is heartening to find people can disagree on some things and agree on others instead of lining up in strict lines on either side of the divide pitchforks in hand. 

[jmacswimmer]

...

Much better rant than the I-70 not going to Baltimore rant.

I would not discount any of those points you made. I would also add that the push to "privatize" government has added to this.

Seconded - credit where credit is due Mr. Star, I also agree with your points here!

1995hoo mentioned upthread about VDOT closing roughly half their rest areas during the Great Recession - to their credit, they seem to have learned their lesson since.  All still open, and some of the busiest ones (Ladysmith & Skippers on I-95) have seen full reconstructions recently.

To comment on Maryland, I feel it's a mixed bag.  Their approach during the Great Recession was to close welcome centers, relocate the Sideling Hill exhibit to a museum in Hancock, and, in many cases, restrict the facilities to only being open during daylight hours.  A few (US 15 by the MD/PA line & US 301 on the Eastern Shore come to mind) remain with these restricted daylight hours to this day, but the welcome centers along interstates are fully reopened.

The facilities themselves are also mixed - I-70 at South Mountain and the aforementioned US 15 were rebuilt in the early 2000's and are very nice, but the I-95 facilities "between the Beltways" could maybe use an overhaul.

(The 2 service plazas along I-95/JFK Highway northeast of Baltimore are recently rebuilt and super nice, but that might be outside the scope of this thread since they were P3 projects funded by developers who now get to keep most of the plaza revenue in return.)

[Max Rockatansky]

Depends on where they are.  If I'm out in the sticks I don't mind using the side of the road.  That said, it wasn't fun having rest area in Gaviota Pass being closed yesterday and having to try to find a place in Santa Barbara where I can use a rest room.  So to that end I guess you might say that I appreciate the convenience of rest areas being located on major highways in urban areas.

[sprjus4]

Much better rant than the I-70 not going to Baltimore rant.

I would not discount any of those points you made. I would also add that the push to "privatize" government has added to this.

In this day and age it is heartening to find people can disagree on some things and agree on others instead of lining up in strict lines on either side of the divide pitchforks in hand. 

Agreed, and I certainly agree with the points made in your post as well.

[TEG24601]

As Crohnie, I can tell you they certainly not obsolete.  As they are usually better kept than stores and gas stations.

[jeffandnicole]

I've never once stopped in a gas station to use the bathroom and had anyone make me feel obligated to buy something. They're not watching you when you're pumping gas, so how would they know if you've already purchased something (or will purchase something, if you decide to use the facilities first)?

If you feel obligated, that's on you.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never once stopped in a gas station to use the bathroom and had anyone make me feel obligated to buy something. They're not watching you when you're pumping gas, so how would they know if you've already purchased something (or will purchase something, if you decide to use the facilities first)?

If you feel obligated, that's on you.

The problem I've found is in urban areas is that a lot gas stations don't let people use restrooms.  Most gas stations I frequent don't allow public access to restrooms as a means of preventing the homeless from getting in them or lingering around.  This is less of a problem in rural areas or at big service chains.

[hbelkins]

If they close rest areas, where else are you going to overpay for a soft drink or a candy bar?

I recently stopped at a rest area in West Virginia, and they wanted $2.50 for a standard-sized Milky Way bar out of the vending machine. That's far beyond normal convenience store prices.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I've never once stopped in a gas station to use the bathroom and had anyone make me feel obligated to buy something. They're not watching you when you're pumping gas, so how would they know if you've already purchased something (or will purchase something, if you decide to use the facilities first)?

If you feel obligated, that's on you.

The problem I've found is in urban areas is that a lot gas stations don't let people use restrooms.  Most gas stations I frequent don't allow public access to restrooms as a means of preventing the homeless from getting in them or lingering around.  This is less of a problem in rural areas or at big service chains.

I went into a CO gas station once when I was about to burst, which had a "paying customers only" type of sign on the door. I got in and out without buying anything, but when I told some friends about this I was told what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have left without making some kind of purchase. So I just don't want to bother with those kinds of things.

[Revive 755]

Iowa plans to close 8 of its 38 rest stops over the next few years:

https://nonpareilonline.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa-dot-set-to-close-six-western-iowa-rest-areas/article_94905cbf-f82e-5b4e-90db-86c8bdbc1219.html

Iowa is still keeping a good number though, see https://iowadot.gov/restareaplan/docs/Final-report.pdf.

[jeffandnicole]

I've never once stopped in a gas station to use the bathroom and had anyone make me feel obligated to buy something. They're not watching you when you're pumping gas, so how would they know if you've already purchased something (or will purchase something, if you decide to use the facilities first)?

If you feel obligated, that's on you.

The problem I've found is in urban areas is that a lot gas stations don't let people use restrooms.  Most gas stations I frequent don't allow public access to restrooms as a means of preventing the homeless from getting in them or lingering around.  This is less of a problem in rural areas or at big service chains.

I went into a CO gas station once when I was about to burst, which had a "paying customers only" type of sign on the door. I got in and out without buying anything, but when I told some friends about this I was told what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have left without making some kind of purchase. So I just don't want to bother with those kinds of things.

Rest areas in urban areas are rare, and why are you telling your friends you went into a store to pee?

[HighwayStar]

I've never once stopped in a gas station to use the bathroom and had anyone make me feel obligated to buy something. They're not watching you when you're pumping gas, so how would they know if you've already purchased something (or will purchase something, if you decide to use the facilities first)?

If you feel obligated, that's on you.

I would agree that many places do not care, but that is not true of everywhere, and signs to the effect can certainly be seen.