Prague - Pausing at a highway rest spot, drivers most often want to spend a few peaceful minutes in pleasant surroundings. And they can, provided they are not driving in Europe.
A survey by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), Germany's largest automobile club, says European rest stops tend to be loud, dark and trash-filled "asphalt deserts". The description proves particularly apt for Czech rest areas.
ADAC tested 101 rest spots in 16 countries in April and May. Austria, Croatia, and Hungary earned A grades, while Spain, Slovakia and the Czech Republic received failing marks.
"We encountered the worst cases in the Czech Republic, Spain and Slovakia," the club's inspectors state. "There were either no rest rooms, or they were badly damaged and dirty. There were no phones in the parking lots for emergencies, and we had to search long and hard to find security cameras."
ADAC chose two Czech rest stops: Starovičky near Hustopeče on the D2 highway, and Speřice near Humpolec on the D1. Both are on arteries that cross the country's borders.
The inspectors visited each stop twice on two different days, once at night and again during the day.
The Starovičky stop lacked tables as well as a sufficient number of garbage bins. According to ADAC, the rest rooms were in a catastrophic condition and unsuitable for use. There were no reserved spots for people with disabilities and no security systems.
Speřice had similar demerits, plus the restrooms there were of little use since they were locked.
"At night we had to roam the stop in utter darkness," the experts said, citing one reason why they gave the Czech stops unsatisfactory marks.
Child's paradise in France
Test stops in Slovenia, the Netherlands and Belgium also had little to brag about. All of them lost points, mainly for inadequate sanitary facilities.
Owing to a lack of cleanness, Norway's rest stops ranked mid-way on the scale. Their locations were laudable, however.
"As far as the surroundings, Norway's highway rest stops are among the best," the ADAC report states. "Where else could you have a picnic in 24-degree temperatures, in early May, and look out over a frozen lake?"
Who passed the European test? In addition to Austria, Croatia, and Hungary, countries that scored high include France, Switzerland and Sweden. The French stops impressed the inspectors with their extensive green areas with playgrounds and ubiquitous emergency phones.
Just keep driving
The highest marks went to two Austrian locations: Gaishorn on the A9 and Lanschütz on the A10. And for good reason. Asfinag, operator of Austria's network of high-speed roads, has set out to modernize the country's rest stops, planning to re-model and fully furnish 300 stops by 2015.
Austria's attempt to humanize highway travel is a rarity. "With some exceptions, no country won us over with its facilities," the ADAC concludes. "Far too many highway rest stops aren't suitable for a quick break, let alone a solid rest."
Of the 101 evaluated rest zones, 17 received an failing grades of five, 22 received fours, 22 threes, 29 twos and 11 ones.
Adapted by the Prague Daily Monitor.
