Residents and state lawmakers urged state highway leaders Tuesday to reconsider a proposal to close more than half of the interstate rest areas in Virginia, saying they are too valuable to barricade.

"Silly, foolish, lack of common sense. If you have to go, you have to go. And that's what the people out in the country are saying right now," said Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Franklin County.

Officials spent more than two hours hearing public opposition to a plan announced last month to close 25 of 41 rest areas as part of a massive cost-cutting effort. In addition, officials are devising plans -- also unpopular -- to reduce highway department offices, roadside mowing and safety service patrol services after July 1. Construction and staff cuts are already under way, all in response to the downward economy.

"We are looking to find ways to live within the budget dollars we have available," David Ekern, the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation, told an audience of about 150 people at Northside Middle School in Roanoke County. Ekern then invited people to speak, saying highway officials would listen without responding.

Ten more public hearings are planned around the state, after which a final proposal to cut state transportation services is scheduled to be shown to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for approval.

Trucking industry representatives blasted the rest stop closure plan. Officials were told that truck parking spaces at businesses along the interstate system are too few and inadequate to meet drivers' needs. Parking on highway shoulders and along on and off ramps is illegal. Getting a hotel room might sound like a solution, but it's too costly at $50 or more a day, said Paul Yurkovac, spokesman for the Owner Operator Coalition of Virginia.

"Safety, not the rest areas, is on the chopping block," said Gregory Liniel, corporate secretary of Fleetmaster Express, a Roanoke trucking company. If rest areas close, he predicted a rise in accidents and public safety costs that will add up to more than the $12 million the closures would save.

Many addressed the practical realities for all motorists of exiting the interstate to take a potty break. McDonald's won't let people use its restrooms "without buying a hamburger," John Claytor of Roanoke said. Gas stations secure their bathrooms with keys, James Wagner told officials. Bill Ward of Salem said he is vision impaired and knows he and others with disabilities much prefer familiar rest areas for taking breaks than having to navigate a truck stop or strip mall.

Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, said he's concerned about guards transporting prisoners and suggested they would be unable to use private businesses' restrooms even if allowed. At rest stops, however, the guards can cordon off the area and let prisoners step into the restrooms, he said.

Shane Adams, who directs the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Christiansburg Visitors Bureau, said he worries what message closed areas would send to those driving through the state. He suggested the message would be as follows:

"We are an unwelcoming state, and we are a depressed state where we're unable to maintain basic public facilities that are available in all other states," Adams said. "This is like a slap in the face. Keep the rest stops and visitors centers open, and let's bring them up to date. Invest in our future."

State Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Botetourt County, was among a number of speakers to suggest privatizing the state's rest stops, saying, "It's a good time to experiment."