To prevent traffic accidents caused by driver fatigue, the National Freeway Bureau came up with the bright idea to set up three 24-hour drivers’ lounges along National Freeway No. 1, at the Hukou Service Area (southbound) in northern Taiwan, the Taian Service Area (southbound) in central Taiwan, and the Sinying Service Area (northbound) in southern Taiwan. The lounges offer drivers four hours to recuperate by taking a nap and a shower, at no charge.
Following on from the opening of the drivers’ lounge in Taian on Oct. 15 last year and the one in Sinying on New Year’s Day this year, the Drivers’ Lounge at the Hukou Service Area in Hsinchu County began operations on Jan. 15. Signing in on the register is required to use the service, and almost all drivers, excluding those with infectious diseases or critical illnesses, are welcome to use the facility.
Stepping into the Hukou Drivers’ Lounge is like stepping into a cozy hotel. Peng Jui-ru, a section chief of Ching Mei Security and Properties Group, which is in charge of the management of the Hukou Service Area, told the Taipei Times last Saturday that the interior design — wooden floor, soft lighting, simple and elegant furniture, modern bathroom appliances, and wall decorations — was done by professional interior designers to create a relaxed ambience.
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
The semi-open male and female lounges are situated to the left and the right of the lobby respectively. The male lounge has seven adjustable beds, while the female lounge has four. Considering the issue of personal hygiene, each bed is covered with a disposable bed sheet. The shower rooms and dressing rooms for both men and women provide shampoo and shower gel, but not towels. There are also hairdryers in both the male and female dressing rooms, the latter of which also offers hairbrushes.
Although the three drivers’ lounges along Freeway No. 1 are primarily established for professional drivers, the recent registration log of the Hukou Drivers’ Lounge shows that the primary users have been ordinary drivers of light vehicles, followed by professional drivers of large trucks and professional drivers of large passenger vehicles. Peng said that the lounge’s rush hour usually occurs around noon during weekdays, so drivers may have to wait at the lobby for the next available vacant bed. As evening nears, drivers tend to use shower rooms more than the lounge room, according to Peng. The Hukou Drivers’ Lounge also accepts telephone bookings up to an hour prior of arrival to save drivers’ time. To make a reservation, call 03-598-2754.
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times)
為防範疲勞駕駛造成交通事故，高速公路局出妙招，在國道一號北部的湖口（南下）、中部的泰安（南下）與南部的新營（北上）三處服務區，開設二十四小時「駕駛人休息室」，供駕駛人免費四小時短暫休息與淋浴。
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
繼去年十月十五日泰安服務區與今年元旦新營服務區的「駕駛人休息室」啟用後，新竹縣湖口服務區的「駕駛人休息室」也自一月十五日起，加入服務行列。服務採登記使用，除了有傳染或重大疾病者外，所有駕駛人皆可入內短暫休憩，歡迎用路人多加利用。
實地走訪湖口「駕駛人休息室」一趟，彷彿置身舒適旅店。負責湖口服務區管理的景美物業管理公司組長彭芮汝上週六向《台北時報》表示，休息室的木地板、柔和燈光設計、素雅家具、現代衛浴設備，以及牆面裝飾，皆由設計師打造，以營造舒緩氣氛。
半開放式空間的男駕駛與女駕駛休息室，分設於大廳左右兩側，前者設有七張可調整傾斜角度的躺椅，而後者則是四張。考量個人衛生清潔，每張躺椅上均鋪有一層拋棄式床單。在沐浴設備部分，男沐浴間與女沐浴間皆提供洗髮精與沐浴乳，但毛巾必須自備。另外，休息室還設有男梳妝間與女梳妝間，前者提供吹風機，而後者除了吹風機外，還提供梳子供女駕駛使用。
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
雖然這三所國道休息室，是以職業駕駛為優先使用，但根據湖口「駕駛人休息室」近日的使用紀錄來看，使用率以小型車駕駛最高，其次是職業大貨車，再其次為職業大客車。彭芮汝表示，週間的中午時段是駕駛人使用休息室的高峰期，有時甚至還要在大廳等候床位；而週間的傍晚時段，則是以使用淋浴者居多。為節省駕駛人等候時間，湖口「駕駛人休息室」接受駕駛一小時內的來電預約。預約電話：03-598-2754。
（台北時報記者林亞蒂）
Photo: Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報林亞蒂
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Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2, there will be no Bilingual Pages. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 3, when Bilingual Pages will also be resumed.
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