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We must not travel the same highways; I've rarely seen a rest stop that was sparsely used.
They provide what fast food restaurants and truck stops do not: trees, shade, picnic benches, grass, a place to walk your dog that isn't concrete or asphalt.
And we can't forget the men who use these rest stops to have anonymous sex in the bathrooms!
We actually had one of these (rest stop with bathrooms, no stores or gas) on I-295 in Burlington County NJ and they had to close it down, because it was a huge male-on-male hookup place. Occasionally a family would stop to use the facilities, and they'd walk in on a couple of men getting it on.
I agree these rest stops are still useful though, as I have a very active bladder and don't want to have to buy something in a fast food place just to use their restroom. Though I think the rest stops with gas and food places are probably more useful, in case you want to do more tan just pee. And those places don't tend to have guys hooking up in the men's room.
1. a place to take a nap or even get a full night's sleep while driving long hours
2. a place to do one's business without having go into a business
3. a place to text or call people safely
4. useful maps and brochures, sometimes
5. quick-service vending machines
6. food and gas, depending on the location
7. picnic tables to eat at and grass to walk dogs
8. bins to throw out your trash
So, no, rest areas have not outlived their usefulness at all.
They're great. You can stop and have a picnic instead of eating crappy fast food. You can let your dog out, take a walk and use the bathroom yourself. They often have maps and tourist info. I can't figure why anyone would want to get rid of them.
I acknowledge they can be a benefit to dog walkers, but if I'm on a trip long enough to require a meal, I'm most likely not keeping anything but light snacks in the car. I don't like to eat in my car anyway. I wouldn't want to sleep out in the open. "Welcome centers" do tend to be busier than a standard rest area. There just nothing at a rest area that I can't do elsewhere.
I just completed a 2400 cross country excursion from NC to Vegas in July. I used rest areas 8-10 times. Each one was very heavily utilized. I drove past several others that were full as well. I have traveled all over this country and used rest areas at least 100 times.
A lot of rest areas across the midwest have "hospitality centers" usually staffed with volunteers who can give you info about the surrounding area. These centers also often have some local history displays. Sometimes they have free coffee, too. Even driving across Nebraska, a sparsely populated state especially in the western part, I've rarely been the only patron, even in December. Often in sparsely populated states, gas stations aren't even open at night, so your only other option is to pee out the window.
Still on topic: I once traveled with a group doing a show and on the way back, we all needed to use the facility. There being no Rest Area nearby, we exited the highway and went to a fast food place. When I hesitated about using the bathroom without a purchase, one of the men traveling with us gave me the best advice in this regard. He said, "How many times have you bought food here and didn't use the rest room?"
Maybe that makes us even, I'm not sure, but for all those cups of coffee and lunches bought at the drive-thru, maybe a stop or two at the bathroom is okay.
Still on topic: I once traveled with a group doing a show and on the way back, we all needed to use the facility. There being no Rest Area nearby, we exited the highway and went to a fast food place. When I hesitated about using the bathroom without a purchase, one of the men traveling with us gave me the best advice in this regard. He said, "How many times have you bought food here and didn't use the rest room?"
Maybe that makes us even, I'm not sure, but for all those cups of coffee and lunches bought at the drive-thru, maybe a stop or two at the bathroom is okay.
I have no particular issue with doing that, especially if some of the group was buying. However, there are the logistics-you have to get off the interstate, find the restaurant, get back on the interstate, etc.
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