New test reveals service stations offer better food three years on but still beware the pedestrian areas and the toilets.
The latest EuroTest spot check, carried out over the Easter holidays, examined 65 Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) located on highways important for accessing holiday destinations across 12 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The partners in this survey are 16 automobile clubs from 15 countries, all members of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Despite a general improvement in catering, road safety and hygiene standards are still lacking. Overall, EuroTest inspectors were disappointed with the 20 percent failure rate and no significant upgrading in quality levels since the last test in 2004.
13 of the 65 tested MSA were rated "poor" or "very poor", 31 were rated as "acceptable" 19 scored a rating of "good" and only one got top marks as" very good".
"Motorway service areas have a duty of care to provide a welcoming haven where road users can retreat to replenish themselves and their vehicles so that they return to the road refreshed and alert." said Caroline Ofoegbu of the FIA European Bureau. "As such, MSAs are an essential feature on every motorway and are even regulated under road safety legislation in some countries" she continued. Driver fatigue and driver distraction are both known to be major causes of road accidents. In the interests of road safety it is recommended that on any long distance journey, breaks should be taken at least every three hours to relax, to have something to eat and drink and stretch the legs. Regrettably, the survey results show in some cases road users would be better off not stopping at some of the MSAs looked at by EuroTest this year. Indeed pulling over could entail a serious health risk!
Armed with a checklist based on the needs of a family of four with two young children including a baby travelling by road to a holiday destination our EuroTest inspectors examined every MSA twice over a period a 24 hours. The checklist addressed nine categories: family-friendliness; catering; sanitary facilities; traffic and parking; outdoor facilities; accessibility of the indoor areas, service prices and the quality of the shop/kiosk.
The most serious shortcomings identified included poor layout of the parking areas and traffic through ways. For pedestrian on their way to the main building serious hazards were encountered. A lack of intelligent road signing and markings, poor accessibility for the disabled, a dire lack of imagination in the provision of outdoor facilities, an absence of family friendliness and less than satisfactory hygiene standards were also frequently identified failings.
Pedestrians in 61 out of 65 MSAs tested were confronted with road safety hazards simply traversing the parking area from their vehicles to the indoor facilities. While most buildings provide ramps or lifts for wheel chair access, users first have to master a dangerous slalom from the designated disabled parking bays to reach them. Very often there are no designated parking bays for coaches, mobile homes or towed vehicles. Those that were found were usually located in the parking area for HGVs which is particularly hazardous for people with children. In the absence of designated crossings, pedestrians are left to navigate a path through parked vehicles and flowing traffic to reach the building. Pathways intended to lead to the building were often located behind cars which means children may not be seen by motorists when reversing. Furthermore a safe cordoning off playgrounds and all outdoor picnic and leisure areas are needed to ensure a safe separation of traffic and pedestrians.
When using the sanitary facilities, care must be taken and hands must always be washed! Faecal germs and/or pathogens - potentially hazardous to health – were found in almost every seventh sample, especially those from toilet seats and in particular, those found in the men's toilets. Every seventh baby-changing mat was found to be a potential health hazard also.
The winning service Medenbach East, a "Tank & Rast/ Mövenpick-Marché" facility locate on the German Autobahn A 3 (Frankfurt – Cologne) between Wiesbaden motorway intersection and Wiesbaden/ Niedernhausen was one of only six sites in the test to score top marks for family-friendliness. A state-of-the-art facility, Medenbach Eash is clearly signposted, very well maintained and scrupulously clean. Designated parking areas for the disabled, coaches, HGVs, as well as mobile homes and towed vehicles are clearly separated from each other. Outdoor picnic tables and deck chairs invite guests to take a break. There is plenty to keep children amused both outdoors and indoors. A lift brings wheelchair users to the restaurant where parents can easily find high chairs provided with children's bibs. The cosseting of families extends to a lovingly furnished mother-and-baby room with a host of extras. As for the catering everyone knows what to expect with "Mövenpick-Marché" quality. One of the few failings noted were the poorly marked pedestrian crossings from the parking lots to the building.
In stark contrast to Medenbach East, the worst service station ranked 65th, the Ventimiglia Autoporto North located on the Italian A10 autoroute close to the French border offered more deterrents than attractions. In six out of the nine categories this service station failed miserably. Poorly signed access to the service station leads motorists into a parking area which apart from its designated coach bays, sports a host of hazards: no footpaths, no designated disabled parking or parking for mobile homes, no pedestrian crossings leading to the building no control of through traffic. With no outdoor facilities, no disabled access for wheel chair users, no play area for kids, a restaurant that closes on weekends, no baby changing facilities, an inaccessible disabled toilet and otherwise very dirty toilets with no toilet seats and poor hygiene results, only extremely desperate, extremely fit and able individuals should risk stopping for the briefest of breaks before move on fast.
The main calls of improvements as a result of this years test would be the following:
- Cleaning of sanitary facilities must be increased in peak demand periods using specific cleaning fluids and cleaning materials for these specific areas. All visitors must be encouraged to wash their hands
- Traffic and parking areas must be organised such that they protect pedestrians not pose road safety hazards. Better routing of pathways, signing and more pedestrian crossings are needed
- To give parents a truly relaxing break, safe and creative play areas for kids are a must. Baby changing facilities are also needed.
- road users needed to be able to stop at a service station at any time (seven day a week 24 hours a day) a find tasty meals that offer a well balanced replenishment.
Ends.
Editors' notes
EuroTest is a platform 16 automobile clubs in 15 countries, members of the FIA who have been putting the quality and safety of mobility in Europe to the test since 2000 for the benefit of their members and all mobile consumers in Europe.
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