American "lay-by"?

Those are pull-outs.  We have them in the country.

They are rest areas or picnic areas off major roads... some are called "roadside tables" oddly enough...  Aside from major highways all you get is a paved or semi paved area and maybe a trash can or a picnic table...

Here's a Roadside Table sign:

http://www.oce.oregon.gov/images/products/details/D5-5.jpg

But I would definitely say a lay-by would be the same as a rest area. I've never in my life heard the terms "turnout" or "pullout" used for a rest area though.

I've never heard the term "turnout" or "pullout" period.  A rest area in America has restrooms, vending machines, and often have information packages (like a mini-welcome/visitor center) and I've only seen them off the interstates (I'm sure they're other places in other areas of the country but that's just my personaly experience).  Sounds like a lay-by is more of a bare-minimum pulloff.  We do have these things on the side of the road here that are for parking your car when you're car pooling...and also where you can just park and take a nap if you're sleepy (although not recommended because people have been taken advantage of in those areas throughout the country)...but we just call those areas pulloffs. 

As for the scenic pulloffs (like what you might have in the parkway up in the mountains or in a historic area), we call those waysides.

Those are pull-outs.  We have them in the country.

Really?! I've never even heard that word! You learn something every day!

There are also those roads in mountainous areas that like the truckers can pull over into - wondering what they are called?

Runaway truck ramps, if we're thinking of the same thing.

Well, this thread goes to show you just how huge and varied the 50 states are. It's funny to read things like wiki pages that state as a fact that something is called this or that in the US...meaning the entire country..when in fact it could have a thousand different names and versions nationwide!

Off the subject - Here in Houston, the roads that run along side the freeways are called 'feeder roads' and I'm fairly sure there's not very many other areas of the US where they're referred to as that. They are also sometimes referred to as 'service roads' too...but mostly 'feeder roads'.

Runaway truck ramps, if we're thinking of the same thing.

Yes, that's what I was trying to think of!

We always call them 'way-sides' where I come from in Wisconsin, which may be short for 'way-side rest stop' - they are much as Vicky described them, although minus the phone.  Usually on a road other than an interstate, sometimes with a picnic table or two, sometimes with a pit toilet, sometimes just a place to pull over out of the traffic, not even paved...

I've never heard those other American terms for it...

I've seen the term turnout used in southern California.  I think that, on the steep road leading up to Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains, there are signs saying something like:  "Please use turnouts to let following traffic pass."

But that's not the same as a lay-by, clearly.

These two cars are in a lay-by

Thanks everybody! 

From my google search on the terms "highway pullout" and "wayside", I found pullout being used a lot in Canada, as well as references in Colorado, California, and Wyoming.  The first reference to come up for the word "wayside" was the highway stops in Wisconsin, followed by Minnesota.  These all seemed to correspond to what I would think of as a "lay-by" (meaning a wide place by the side of a road suitable for pulling off and parking).

My favorite is the Canadian person looking for the correct French translation of "roadside pullout":

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1143292

ecco una piazzola di sosta in Italia



Which happens to be exactly what Brits understand by "lay-by"

Off the subject - Here in Houston, the roads that run along side the freeways are called 'feeder roads' and I'm fairly sure there's not very many other areas of the US where they're referred to as that. They are also sometimes referred to as 'service roads' too...but mostly 'feeder roads'.

There's loads of service roads in the suburbs of Washington, DC.  I'm sure they must have them in a variety of places in the US.

Well, this thread goes to show you just how huge and varied the 50 states are. It's funny to read things like wiki pages that state as a fact that something is called this or that in the US...meaning the entire country..when in fact it could have a thousand different names and versions nationwide!

Off the subject - Here in Houston, the roads that run along side the freeways are called 'feeder roads' and I'm fairly sure there's not very many other areas of the US where they're referred to as that. They are also sometimes referred to as 'service roads' too...but mostly 'feeder roads'.

In the west we call them frontage roads.

My aunt calls them panic areas!