CALGARY — At least one province appears to be interested in providing better rest areas for truckers while they’re out on the road.

Alberta Transportation says it has some ideas for an improved network of facilities — perhaps even building new ones — but it wants to run its plans past some truckers first.

The Alberta Motor Transport Association, along with several industry drivers and operations staff attended a Safety Rest Area (SRA) forum hosted by the government in Red Deer.

Alberta looks to replace dangerous ‘pulloffs’ with upgraded rest areas.

"It was positive and informative for the government. From the industry perspective it was extremely positive; and it’s not just for us, but for every motorist out there," explained Mayne Root, executive director of the AMTA. One of the changes proposed by the province are new washroom facilities. Officials determined the current port-a-potties in use aren’t serviceable and they’re looking at building concrete, heated facilities.

"They’re looking at 35 locations where they’re going to upgrade facilities to full rest stops or build new ones," noted Root. "These are locations that aren’t already in highway upgrade plans, for example along the Highway 63 upgrade there are planned rest areas built into that plan, so these are over and above any current construction plans."

Most stakeholders believe locations north by the Yukon border to down south at the Highway 2 and Highway 3 junction near Fort Macleod are most in need of upgrades. Currently the province is populated by roadside pullouts, which are an extension of the highway shoulder and usually offer only a payphone and some garbage bins.

"The pulloffs are found to be quite dangerous and the government wants to get rid of them, but these new rest areas have to be built first," said Root. The province’s goal for multi-lane highways would be to place new rest areas 30 minutes from a city and 60 minutes apart.