SIDE OF THE ROAD vs PUBLIC REST STOP (final draft)

Were you ever driving down the highway in Alaska and all of a sudden nature calls, unless you are a superhero by the name of “Bladder of Steel,” the answer is yes, but where is the best place to stop? Depending on the time of year, you can choose to go to a rest stop, outhouse, gas station or even the side of the road. Although the State of Alaska provides limited maintenance for highway public rest stops for summer tourism, it needs attention. Because of this limited maintenance, a disservice is placed upon year-round residents and visitors, forces private businesses to provide this service and makes for a very long car ride.

I remember as a child going on family trips in the car from Indiana to Florida. One of the biggest highlights of our numerous trips was the idea of stopping at a rest stop; we were to take care of our business and then were able to run free and stretch our legs for a few minutes. I could always remember that the rest stops were very clean, safe, and attainable anytime of the year. The rest stops served as a good break for my parents and break from the 3 kids in the back yelling, "I have to go to the bathroom!" The rest stops were built in a manner that provided a wonderful service to visitors and residents. Now that I am a parent of two children, I want to pass on the joy of car trips I enjoyed as child. I have noticed since moving to Alaska that our road trips are not very enjoyable. If we decide to make a summer trip we knew that we had plenty of places to stop, use the facilities and stretch our legs. But, if we decided to make a trip between Labor Day and May 15th it would make for a different experience. The reason, public facilities are not open or properly maintained after Labor Day. Tourists visit the State of Alaska year round just as the residents travel every day.

What about the residents that want to take off and see the fall colors or go shopping in Anchorage? How about the tourist who want to come to Alaska to see the Northern Lights? What should they to do when nature calls? With the public facilities few and far between and not properly maintained, I believe more waste is going to be left on the side of the road. The state needs to maintain these facilities year round to provide residents and tourists a pleasant car trip anytime of year.

Although gas stations are opened year round, they should not be responsible for providing this service. They could say, “If you want to use the bathroom, you need to buy something," or a sign could be posted that says "No public restrooms," then what are people to do? How far away is the next restroom and what are their policies? I believe that if I am stopping to get gas, buying coffee or snacks, I should be able to use their facilities; I am bringing them a profit that will help offset the cost of the electricity used in the bathroom and the sewage disposal. But, why should gas stations provide this service if they get nothing in return, but waste.

A road trip should not have to be such an unpleasant experience between Labor Day and May 15th. Why should parents have to tell children "you need to hold it" because there is not a maintained public rest stop on a major road. Do you stop and let them relieve themselves on the side of the road? Tourist and residents are going to use whatever means available, including the side of the road, to make themselves comfortable.

We live in a profitable state, a certain amount of money should be allotted to build new facilities or even maintain and repair the facilities we already have in place. We do not pay taxes on our tourist but yet we take care of them, why not take care of the residents of Alaska with the taxes we are paying. We need to provide a wonderful experience to anyone who travels with inthe State of Alaska anytime of year.