Free Wi-Fi and Hidden Camera Safe Restrooms... Highway Services During the Holiday

Restrooms 13,243 → 13,822 (579 increase)

On the 28th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday, a view of Haengdamdo Rest Area on the Seohaean Expressway from a police helicopter inspecting the homecoming traffic. (Aerial filming cooperation = Moon Heung-ju, Sergeant, and Shim Dong-guk, Inspector, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

With approximately 29 million people expected to travel during the Lunar New Year holiday period, nationwide highways are anticipated to experience continuous congestion. To alleviate the traffic stress for the public, the government has designated the six-day holiday as the 'Lunar New Year Special Traffic Measures Period' and prepared various public service measures.

First, free Wi-Fi service will be available at all rest areas on highways. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "To create a traffic information usage environment without data consumption burden, free Wi-Fi will be operated at all rest areas." Free Wi-Fi will be provided at all 480 highway rest area locations, including 200 rest stops, 231 drowsy driving shelters, and 34 parking lot rest areas.

Rest facilities have been established as 'women’s safety' zones. The government will conduct a thorough inspection once daily using 259 hidden camera detectors it owns, targeting all women's restrooms (including drowsy driving shelters) and nursing rooms at rest facilities.

In addition to increasing the number of restrooms, women’s restrooms have also been expanded. The number of highway restrooms increased by 579 from 13,243 to 13,822.

Men’s restrooms increased from 5,925 to 6,147, an addition of 222, while women’s restrooms increased from 7,318 to 7,675, an addition of 357.

Furthermore, service personnel such as those at rest stops, gas stations, and quarantine staff have been increased by 38% compared to normal times (from 7,405 to 10,269). Rest stop personnel increased by 45%, from 6,019 to 8,865. Gas station personnel will also increase by 8%, from 1,296 to 1,404.

During this special traffic measures period, all food menus at highway rest stops will be available for takeout only, and indoor dining will be prohibited.

Highway tolls will be charged as usual. The government did not charge tolls during holiday periods from 2017 but switched to paid tolls starting from the 2020 Chuseok holiday due to the spread of COVID-19. Toll revenue will be used for COVID-19 quarantine activities and other related efforts.

On the 28th, one day before the Lunar New Year holiday, vehicles were moving slowly near Bukpyeongtaek IC on the Pyeongtaek-Hwaseong Expressway, as seen from a police helicopter inspecting the homecoming traffic. (Aerial filming cooperation = Sergeant Mun Heung-ju and Inspector Shim Dong-guk, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Meanwhile, on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, Saturday the 29th, vehicle congestion continued at various major highways nationwide in the afternoon.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 12 PM, the travel time by passenger car from Seoul Tollgate to major cities nationwide was 6 hours 10 minutes to Busan, 4 hours 50 minutes to Gwangju, 5 hours 50 minutes to Ulsan, 5 hours 10 minutes to Daegu, 2 hours 50 minutes to Daejeon, and 3 hours 20 minutes to Gangneung.

On that day, nationwide traffic volume was 4.76 million vehicles, with 450,000 vehicles moving from the metropolitan area to local regions and 370,000 vehicles moving from local regions to the metropolitan area.

The Expressway Corporation analyzed, "As it is the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the homebound direction will be the most congested during the holiday period." The congestion on the homebound route was expected to ease between 7 and 8 PM that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.