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Old 10-13-2021, 05:40 PM   #1
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Washington State Rest Stop Closures

A sad commentary on the times:

https://whatcom-news.com/wsdot-annou...friday_162416/
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Old 10-13-2021, 06:12 PM   #2
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Sure is. To my mind, you don't react to those who abuse the facilities by closing them to everyone, but rather, you enforce the law. If that means an occasional patrol by a state trooper, so be it. Locking the doors is like the kid who threw a tantrum, took his ball and went home.
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Old 10-13-2021, 06:46 PM   #3
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I haven’t used the Smokey point Rest stop for a couple years now to dump my trailer. Being solo as a lot of us are I was very nervous using this rest stop, too many questionable people and vehicles there did not feel safe at all. Unfortunately this issue is just not confined to rest stops in the Seattle and north areas…very sad situation
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:11 PM   #4
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It's sad to say but they don't collect revenue when they spend revenue patrolling and protecting.
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:11 PM   #5
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I have noticed many rest area closures over the past few years, which as you say is a sad commentary on the times. I grew up in ND, and many years ago Governor Guy noticed that rest areas were few and far between, and one that he was anticipating wasn’t open. I don’t know they built new ones, but the rest areas were cleaner after that and it was rare to find one closed, to the point that they became a point of pride for local boosters.

As an aside, the first highway rest stop in the US is just west of Iron River, MI on US 2. I found it on one of my cross country cycling trips. When cycle touring I became a real connoisseur of rest areas, and especially appreciated those on MT SR 200. The one just east of Mosby, MT was derided by the locals as “the million dollar outhouse”, but was a welcome sight to two guys on bikes having a 90 mile day in 100 degree heat

But we can’t have what we aren’t willing to pay for
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:17 PM   #6
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Sure is. To my mind, you don't react to those who abuse the facilities by closing them to everyone, but rather, you enforce the law. If that means an occasional patrol by a state trooper, so be it. Locking the doors is like the kid who threw a tantrum, took his ball and went home.
I agree with you on this. Ohio closed down their rest area dump stations years ago because of people using them to dump hazardous waste. Back then there really wasn't the technology there is today. Today they could do like Cabela's and some truck stops do and put a credit card activated valve along with some security cameras. That way it would be easier to narrow down the criminals dumping the hazardous waste. A $5 fee to dump would pay for the upgrades and provided revenue to maintain it.
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:36 PM   #7
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Sure is. To my mind, you don't react to those who abuse the facilities by closing them to everyone, but rather, you enforce the law. If that means an occasional patrol by a state trooper, so be it. Locking the doors is like the kid who threw a tantrum, took his ball and went home.
Vandalism won't be stopped by "an occasional patrol by a state trooper." Would need someone 24/7.

https://katu.com/news/local/mount-st...seeks-suspects
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:44 PM   #8
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Without going down a political rabbit hole with Washington’s new laws on what our law enforcement now has no authority to enforce it most likely has made it impossible for any type of control on a lot of activity in our rest stops.
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:53 PM   #9
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They are closing it for three months, the zombies will just return after that.

Is there an app that will tell you which rest stops are dangerous.
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Old 10-14-2021, 06:21 AM   #10
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They are closing it for three months, the zombies will just return after that.

Is there an app that will tell you which rest stops are dangerous.
I can't do it anymore but my solution before growing old as dirt was to be even more dangerous than the perp.
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Old 10-14-2021, 08:54 AM   #11
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Hi: KarenH... It seems like "There's no rest for the wicked" in Washington. Alf
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Old 10-14-2021, 09:02 AM   #12
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The ferry situation is a bigger problem for me than the rest stops- never used any of those anyway- but one of the rest stops was in an okay place to stop and torque wheels after pickup.

Port Townsend has been on one ferry for two years so no change there, get reservations early! Mukilteo Clinton is inconvenient but this time of year will only be a big hassle for weekenders (whereas the sudden drops of planned runs was a big hassle). We'll live through this. If anyone has any kids or grandkids with a nautical or engineering bent who want to work on ferries, there will be plenty of good jobs! The catch is they have to go to the maritime academy and become qualified and that takes time.
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