Freeway Service Plazas

[atomius 0]

kay. ploppable freeway service plazas. oh yah, we so totally need those. wer'e dying out here without our ploppable freeway service plazas. oh god! the humility! what will we do without ploppable freeway ser- okay, well, why don't you make one? Since i have never heard of these things. Do you mean freeway diners?

[Alexzero77 3]

Sort of, they have fast food places in them.

Date: 8/29/2005 7:58:57 PM Author: atomius kay. ploppable freeway service plazas. oh yah, we so totally need those. wer'e dying out here without our ploppable freeway service plazas. oh god! the humility! what will we do without ploppable freeway ser- okay, well, why don't you make one? Since i have never heard of these things. Do you mean freeway diners?

quote>

[atomius 0]

ah. i know waht your talking about. here there called highway caf'es. theres not many in australia, but when i was in Nashville there was a maccas on the highway past Marxes golf course.

[MiniMark 7]

Date: 8/29/2005 7:55:32 PM Author:Alexzero77

Who agrees Simtropolis needs plopable Freeway Service Plazas with fast food services suitible for cities? Here in South Florida, they are SPs all down the Florida Turnpike.

quote>

I agree, there also known as Service Centres in Ontario Canada. Likewise this would be a good idea to have.

[Wnb5551 0]

Yea up in the North East we have alot throughout Nj, Ny, and Mass. except they are also were tractor trailers stop to grab a bite.

[dhoppeii 12]

I have begun the process of creating something along these lines.  I started with a simple rest area which can be found here .

aldara6166 and myself have talked about creating some more that would include resteraunts, restrooms and gas stations, see this thread .

 

I think they are totally lacking in the game.  We have even talked about creating one that would span the highway.

[JayStimson 212]

Date: 8/29/2005 8:57:25 PM Author: Wnb5551 Yea up in the North East we have alot throughout Nj, Ny, and Mass. except they are also were tractor trailers stop to grab a bite.

quote>

and if I remember correctly, the truckers call them choke and pukes.

[ricb 19]

These plazas are mainly on toll roads, such as the NY Thruway, NJ Turnpike etc. The logic for them is that if you get off the highway for gas, or food then you pay extra tolls. Personally I think they also help line the states pockets.

[bevanl 6]

I am currently making an Motorway/Highway Service Station.

[nage1ixin 0]

In Australia they are called either a Travel Centre or a Service Centre.

This new generation servo will be able to refuel 700 cars per hour from 20 petrol and four diesel bowsers. It offers the motorist a food court selection of McDonald's, Nandos, Cafe Zip, Norgen Vaaz ice cream, and Flames Carvery and Grill.

Also under the one roof are a convenience store, Internet communications lounge, interactive tourist information kiosks, ATM, Time Zone amusement area, showers, laundry and washrooms, and lounges. It has landscaped outdoor recreation space with dining areas, a children's playground, separate truckies' lounge and 3452 m2 of carparking.

[Compromise 1]

This is a good idea for SimCity.

 

In the UK we have massive one's on most Moterways which have nearly all the services you would want, we also have small one's on major A roads.

[snowpap 2]

These are not just on toll roads, they are along all major Interstates throughout the United States and truckers call them Truck Stops.  Being the son of a trucker, I've been to and have seen many of these.  Some are almost small towns with many fast food joints and a couple of gas stations to choose from while others are smaller with a smaller gas station/restaurant combo.  I actually live an hours drive from the largest Truck Stop in the world called the I-80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa which is not on a toll road.  They even have their own web site at www.iowa80truckstop.com .  Here is an overview so you can ge a picture of just how big this place is:

 

http://www.iowa80truckstop.com/images/2005-Aerial.jpg width=593 vspace=3 border=0>

[juaquin 0]

Freeway service plazas could be very useful if they added revenue to a city like toll booths do. 

[Superchan 23]

looks like a good idea.

[jazzcrazed 0]

Date: 8/30/2005 1:52:16 AM
Author: ricb
These plazas are mainly on toll roads, such as the NY Thruway, NJ Turnpike etc. The logic for them is that if you get off the highway for gas, or food then you pay extra tolls. Personally I think they also help line the states pockets.

quote>

Last I remember from when I took the NJ Turnpike (going from Brooklyn to Atlantic City, NJ), we were neither tolled for entering into nor leaving from food/gas plazas.

My memory's foggy on that trip, so I could be mistaken.

Though you definitely get tolled when you exit (except reputedly for exit #4, which my friend who lives in South Jersey claims you can take without getting tolled).

[Sabretooth78 808]

You don't pay extra tolls.  The turnpike authority just leases/contracts the spots out, and these places charge captive audience prices to make a profit.

 

Something like this would be excellent in the game, something I've honestly never thought of.

 

-Chris

[1dera3 29]

I go up to my cousin's house a half-hour from Philadelphia (coming from DC) every once in a while up I-95, and I pass 2 of them. Good job on the truck stop. It's a great idea.

[SimCityCenter 0]

up here near toronto, there is only one toll highway and as far as i know it has no service stations...

All other highways are free and they have tons of stations along them.

 

I live an hour north of toronto and take the 400 to work... i pass atleast 5 of these on the way down...not including stations that service the lanes traveling the other direction.

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

I think the UK term would be Motorway Service Station. By law they have to spread out so they are not within 40 miles of each other.

[tlannister 1]

Here are some images west of chicago.....Exits only for gas and a mcdonalds that spans the highway.

http://www.southholland.org/images/overroad.jpg align=baseline>

 

http://www.southholland.org/images/09719F84D1DC464A9AF4443D6C5F1FCF.jpg align=baseline>

http://my.execpc.com/~rbean/oasis/harvey-air1.jpg align=baseline>

[dhoppeii 12]

tlannister - thanks for those pictures.  I have been trying to find something along those lines for the proposed project.

[Alexzero77 3]

Any news yet?

[storms991 0]

In the U.K., the service stations are a lot more modern than
the American ones. I live in the USA now, and if you ever come

here, you will clearly see the lack of goverment interest in
public services. If you were to BAT any service stations, I

would recommend that you create a USA one for rural places and
slums, and UK ones for more modern, medium wealth and high

wealth areas.

[Alexzero77 3]

Who agrees Simtropolis needs plopable Freeway Service Plazas with fast food services suitible for cities? Here in South Florida, they are SPs all down the Florida Turnpike.

 

 

[lakeyboy 12]

Well, I know that in Victoria, Australia, they are called Service Centres. They usually contain a Petrol Station, a fast food restaurant and sometimes a shaded area with trees and wooden tables and chairs to sit and eat your food at. There is also some barbies there as well but I don't think many people like the idea of cooking your lunch right next to a freeway but it's usually located off the freeway abit. Here is 2 pictures of 2 of Victoria's service Centres. There is 2 in Urban Melbourne and there are 4 in rural Victoria.
http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/9576/servicecentre17no.jpg align=baseline>
This one is on the Western Ring Road near the Laverton Industrial area. It has a McDonalds and a Mobil Service Station on both sides as well as truck parking and seperate diesel pumps. The McDonalds and where you pay for your fuel are in the same building. There is also your usual convience store items, a playground, toilets, visitor information (about Melbourne, not the service centre!) and heaps of seating inside.
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9335/servicecentre27od.jpg align=baseline>
This one is located near the CBD on the West Gate Freeway before the West Gate Bridge. This service centre is built on the area of the toll booths which were in place when the West Gate Bridge opened. When the bridge debt was paid off by motorists, which happened quite quickly because it was a much needed bridge, it was converted to on/offramps for a nearby road and now has a KFC and a Shell Petrol Station on each side. The convience store where you pay for your fuel and the KFC is both in seperate buildings.

Hope this gives you abit of inspiration and an insight on Australian Service Centres / Plazas / Truck Stops / Rest Areas or whatever you call them in your country.

P.S. Rest areas are called that when there is only seating, parking and a toilet block with your occasional coffee and donut van in a car parking spot.

[chiyeong 0]

moderator...
i suppose this is in wrong forum...

[Vlakhaas 13]

On the 19th of October I released this one .... for Highways ...

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=BAT&Str=csx%20pitstop%20%20midrand%20hw

 

 

and on 29 May 2005 I released this one for AVENUES ...

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=Lot&Str=csx%20service%20%20davids%20servo

 

Both are CS Plops.

 

[DuskTrooper 314]

Please place ALL building requests into the official BAT request thread! Thank you!

[dedgren 830]

Date: 8/30/2005 10:55:25 PM Author: tlannister Here are some images west of chicago.....Exits only for gas and a mcdonalds that spans the highway.

tlannister-  Just like getting in a time machine and going back 50 years...

 

A service area on the Illinois Tollway (the Tri-State, East-West, and Northwest Tollways) was called an Oasis.  They were built with the system (which was constructed all at once) in the mid- to late-1950s.  All had a restaurant spanning the roadways and dedicated exits on each side.  The restaurants were all something called a Fred Harvey as I recollect.  That had already changed to McDonalds and the like the last time I was through there in the 80s.  The service stations were all Standard Oil, and I remember that my dad would only stop at one if he absolutely had to, as the gas there was 3 or 4 cents a gallon more expensive than nearby stations.  Of course, if you didn't want to pay a toll to exit and re-enter, you were a captive audience.

 

Those places have probably all, judging by the picture you posted, been refurbished two or three times over by now.  I bet the gas is 20 cents more a gallon, though.

 

 

D. Edgren

[dutch phantom 2]

Yeah i have to agree simcity is lacking in the highway rest stop area (along with many other things). I Ontario here we have them on almost every highway. This summer i went to Washington DC (great city by the way) and they are dotted along the Penn. turnpike.    Hey i just thought of something!

In the United States they have an extreme obesity problem (Canada does to, but come on its like the AIDS of America) anyway the idea of fast food while seat on your arse for hours may be one of the factors that is helping Americians (and Canadians) gain fat everywhere. Lets save our sims from this calmity!! 

 

Say no to fat food, i mean fast food.