Highway travellers all over North America frequent highway rest stops. These rest stops are unmanned yet they are serviced.
Moreover, they are a source of local venue information for tourist interest vital to the locality and is gratis to the traveller.
The first thing highway travellers want before seeking out venues of tourist information in a community is to relieve the pressure of their bodily functions.
Only when stress is reduced can they feel kindly disposed to show interest in the local area.
Hence, washrooms similar in structure to the facility between 32nd and 31st avenues in Vernon, that serves the transit exchange, may well meet travellers’ needs, be cost-effective and meet the needs of local venues with inside, wall-mounted maps and outside kiosk displays, along with take-away brochures and maps.
Rest stops require timely signage recognition well before hand, and easy exit from and easy re-entry back on to the highway, which the current north and south visitor sites have the capacity for.
These aspects are critical for highway safety and to maintain maximum traffic flow. To that end, Vernon’s south rest stop to be only open to northbound traffic and its north rest stop to be open to only southbound traffic. This meets highway travellers’ needs, provides information of local venues, is cost effective and is open seasonally.
Treat highway travellers like welcome guests and they will respond in kind. But frustrate them, and they just carry on to the next community.
Norman and Grace Kramer
Vernon
