Daejeon, Promoting Reduction of Urban Driving Speed under 'Safe Speed 5030' Initiative

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The speed limits on roads within Daejeon city will be lowered to 50 km/h and 30 km/h.

Daejeon City and the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 30th that they will promote the ‘Safe Speed 5030’ adjustment project with these details.

The project aims to reduce the possibility of vehicle traffic accidents and protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. The core of the project is to limit the maximum speed on all general roads within residential, commercial, and industrial areas in urban regions to within 50 km/h through amendments to the Enforcement Rules of the Road Traffic Act.

In South Korea, it is estimated that 7 out of 10 traffic accident fatalities occur on urban roads. This supports the argument that, unlike highways, national roads, and provincial roads designed and operated primarily for vehicles, urban roads should prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians by lowering speed limits.

In particular, according to overseas research results, when a vehicle traveling at 60 km/h collides with a pedestrian, 9 out of 10 pedestrians die; at 50 km/h, 5 out of 10 pedestrians die; and at 30 km/h, only 1 out of 10 pedestrians dies. This indicates that reducing driving speeds on urban roads has a significant impact, which is the judgment of the city and the Daejeon Police Agency. The background for promoting the Safe Speed 5030 adjustment project aligns with these research findings.

Before promoting the project, the Daejeon Police Agency conducted basic data surveys for the amendment and enforcement of the Enforcement Rules of the Road Traffic Act and held a Traffic Safety Facility Review Committee meeting to determine appropriate speed limits for 74 main and auxiliary arterial roads and 227 collection and side roads within the city.

Additionally, the city plans to invest 520 million KRW in national funds and 2.8 billion KRW in city funds to implement the speed reduction project and traffic safety sign maintenance project. The maintenance project will focus on maintaining an optimal traffic signal system to increase speed compliance rates and enhance pedestrian safety and convenience within the speed management zones included in the Safe Speed 5030 project area.

The city and the Daejeon Police Agency plan to suspend speed limit enforcement on the changed project section roads for three months after the completion of the maintenance project to allow drivers to adapt to the new speed limits.

Kang Gyu-chang, Director of the City’s Transportation and Construction Bureau, said, “We will concentrate administrative efforts to establish an urban road environment where traffic safety is guaranteed, prioritizing the lives and property of citizens.”