Bob Martin:
[Interstates and similar roads in the US have] signage to nearest
available Fuel, Food and Lodging, both as lists as you approach
the exit, and as directions from the slip road.

The actual wording is "Gas - Food - Lodging", which wouldn't fly in the
UK for obvious reasons. In Ontario, Canada (where we also say "gas"),
they formerly used "Fuel - Food - Accommodations" but now conform to
the US style.

Dspite the fact this has to be a *very* low cost solution (after all, its
just a bit of research, and some signage), I doubt it would ever happen.

I believe the system was introduced in the US in conjunction with highway
beautification laws that required roadside billboards to be removed.

Dave Liney:
I can think of several reasons why it won't happen that don't rely on
conspiracy theories.

How do you define 'nearest'? As the crow flies; by road; in time taken?

By road; it's meaningful and objective. But it's not actually just the
nearest places anyway. If there is a cluster of businesses around the
exit, there will be signs for all of them. You might see "food" followed
by a row of three or four fast food or restaurant names (or logos if
they're chain restaurants), and then a later sign will show Burger King
to the right; McDonald's, KFC, and Joe's Local Diner to the left.
Likewise for gas and lodging.

I can see arguments between petrol stations and hotels about who
should be on the list as nearest.

The arguments would be about whether the cutoff rule should be "within
1/2 mile" or "within 1 mile" or "within 1 mile, or nearest within
5 miles if there is nothing within 1 mile"; once a rule is legislated,
that should settle the issue.

The signs will need to be kept up-to-date because the last thing someone
running low on fuel needs is to follow the signs off the motorway to
a place that has shut down.

Yes, well, in *some* states they would agree with that. :-(

Also ... opening time information will have to put on the signs...

Not practical; people wouldn't have enough time to read them all. The
sign just means "there is a gas station", not "there is an open gas
station". They could show 24-hour or not 24-hour, but in my experience
even this is not usually done. If you need gas or food in the middle
of the night, it's your responsibility to find a place that's open.

None of this is meant as a suggestion for what should be done in the UK.
--
Mark Brader | "I noted with some interest that Fahrenheit was
Toronto | also used in the weather forecast, but there the
| gas marks were missing." -- Ivan A. Derzhanski

My text in this article is in the public domain.