Because that goes against everything government stands for. Why have 1 when you can have 2 for twice the cost...
In all seriousness I think it has something to do with safety and that you don't want slow/exiting vehicles in the left/passing lane
DOT Seeks Input on Rest Areas
- Thread starter wxman1
- Start date
Because that goes against everything government stands for. Why have 1 when you can have 2 for twice the cost...
In all seriousness I think it has something to do with safety and that you don't want slow/exiting vehicles in the left/passing lane
Honest question, how did you survive in the pre-2000 world? Where you just fairly restricted on where you could go?
On the interstate there are more than enough truck stops that you don't need to stop at a mom & pop gas station. I don't feel obligated to purchase anything in a truck stop. I have yet to understand who buys half of the crap they sell at truck stops. How many of those fake crystal dragon figurines do they sell?
Have had inhalers way before that. I take a purse into JTS just for the inhaler cause it is a hassle.
So second-hand smoke triggers it, but not to the point (even second-hand indoors like we used to have) where an inhaler can't handle it pretty reliably?
I've always wondered about when I think about the way things used to be.
It depends on the person and the length and intensity of exposure. Three of my kids and I have asthma and tobacco is a trigger for all of us. Had to take one of the kids to the emergency room from people smoking it up at an ice cream shop in Canada when he was four.
I remember the days when before a vacation my dad would go to AAA and pick up the maps for the states we would be going through.
Back on topic...as far as rest areas go their full value cannot be measured in what we get out of them while driving. Remember they are just that rest areas. Drive down 80 in the middle of the night and they are packed with semis. Where would those semis go if we started getting rid of rest areas?
I like rest stops. They're usually closer to the interstate, so it cuts the pit stop time in half.
I also feel guilty using a gas station or fast food joints restroom without buying anything. Less so in the giant truck stops, admittedly.
I also feel guilty using a gas station or fast food joints restroom without buying anything. Less so in the giant truck stops, admittedly.
The thing is there are only so many resources. You can like rest stops, but I prefer better schools. They built rest stops by Ankeny for an astounding 17 million dollar price tag and it's maybe 2 miles from a nice big gas station with plenty of room for walking the dogs.
I don't care if people like rest stops or not. However we are in an era of rising educational and health costs and we're spending tens of millions of dollars to make it more convenient to travel. To me that's utterly absurd.
I don't care if people like rest stops or not. However we are in an era of rising educational and health costs and we're spending tens of millions of dollars to make it more convenient to travel. To me that's utterly absurd.
I love the rest areas myself in Iowa. My suv does almost 600 miles on a tank. I pack up the food/beverages I need for road trips. I will go from WI/Chicago to KC all the time without having to stop for gas until I get there. The rest areas are a convenient restroom break and stretch the stiff legs out with a brief walk which is nice for us old people. Restrooms are always clean, gas stations, it is hit or miss. Let the dog get his break. Finding a decent patch of grass for the dog at convenience stores is challenging. Gas stations I don't like because of other reasons others mentioned.
I still do this if for no other reason my son loves maps and he likes to follow along as we drive as well as lobby for stopping at the national parks our route goes near. And it is nice to have a back up if the phone's mapping program takes a crap on you.
I remember my dad getting maps sent to him from one of the oil companies. You told them your start point and destination and what you wanted to see and they would send you a map with your route already drawn in for you with all of their gas stations along the way.
I think I remember those coming from Gulf.
Ok, now this makes more sense why people are stopping at rest stops. My car only goes about 300 miles between fill ups so once every 4 hours or so I have to stop and get gas.
So long as they have a row of bushes for those "random" chance encounters do what you please.
The rest stops are paid for out of Iowa's Road Use Tax Fund that is funded by the excise taxes on motor fuels and by licenses, etc. By law that money can only be spent on transportation projects and not anything else.
https://iowadot.gov/about/HighwayFinance.
While we all have access to many GPS maps (phones, cars, etc...) I still have a nagging distrust that they know the quickest or most scenic routes to where I'm going. I can't read a map, I sure as hell can't fold a map, but I feel way more comfortable WITH a map if for no other reason than the rest areas are out of booty wipe.
The name "rest area" is wrong in my opinion. I'm not there to rest. Let's call it what it is: emergency poop stop.
Which still raises the question of resources.
Would that 17million have been better spent on other road projects? I'd say absolutely.
That's a different question. I was replying to the use of RUTF money on educational and or health care expenses.
Strongly agree.
It's also way better for pets. When traveling with our rescue, the noise and traffic of a gas station is terrifying for her. Rest area makes it much easier for her.
