FWIW at Etsy I built and subsequently helped completely dismantle a minimal PHP routing framework. We just used .htaccess and php files.
PHP/Apache affords you a fast, simple alternative, and what you gain with a framework (route lookup for an object) just isn't compelling enough IMO to justify the added overhead and complexity.
I think the endless proliferation of PHP microrouters (including mine, RIP) is people porting Django and Rails features to PHP without applying critical thinking first. (Myself included.)
PHP/Apache affords you a fast, simple alternative, and what you gain with a framework (route lookup for an object) just isn't compelling enough IMO to justify the added overhead and complexity.
I think the endless proliferation of PHP microrouters (including mine, RIP) is people porting Django and Rails features to PHP without applying critical thinking first. (Myself included.)