Ulsan's 'Golden Time' Securing Accelerates... Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System Established

Ulsan City Grants Green Signal via Tablet to Fire Trucks and Ambulances on Dispatch Vehicles

Flowchart showing the operating principle of Ulsan emergency vehicle priority signal system.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The sight of emergency vehicles recklessly speeding through crosswalks, ignoring traffic signals and crossing the center line, is expected to disappear from the streets of Ulsan city in the near future. A traffic signal system that gives priority to emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances has been established in Ulsan.

On the 1st, Ulsan City announced that, together with the Ulsan Police Agency, it has completed the "Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System Construction Project," which was promoted as part of the "Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Reinforcement and Expansion Project" since November last year.

Vehicles equipped with this system include a total of 33 fire, ambulance, and police vehicles from six responsible stations: Samsan, Yugok, Maegok 119 Safety Centers, Taehwa, Samsan District Police Substation, and Beomseo Police Substation, which will now begin full operation.

The signal sections prioritized for emergency vehicles cover a total of 59 intersections located on Gangnam-ro, Jongga-ro, Maegok-ro, Daeri-ro, and other roads.

When an emergency such as a fire or forest fire occurs and an emergency vehicle is dispatched, intersections with traffic signals will be given a green light first. This allows the vehicle to reach its destination without conflict with other vehicles or pedestrians, reducing travel time.

By applying this emergency vehicle priority signal service, emergency responders can arrive at the scene quickly without waiting at signals, thereby reducing risk factors. This will significantly reduce cases where fire trucks miss the golden time due to frequent stops at intersection signals during critical emergencies like fires.

A city official stated, "If the effect of this emergency vehicle priority signal service is high, we plan to expand the target vehicles to include not only fire and police vehicles but also hospital emergency vehicles, and to increase the sections where priority signals are applied."