Can Handcarts for Collecting Waste Paper Be Used on Sidewalks? [A Reporter Visits]

Elderly Paper Collectors Fatally Hit by Vehicles
Handcarts Classified as Vehicles, Fines Imposed for Using Sidewalks Instead of Roads
National Assembly Recognized Severity, Proposed 2017 Amendment Still Pending

An elderly man strugglingly crosses the crosswalk at an intersection in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul, carrying a handcart full of waste paper. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Recently, as elderly people who make a living by collecting and selling waste paper have consecutively died in traffic accidents, there are growing calls for urgent social safety nets for them.

According to current law, handcarts used for collecting waste paper are classified as vehicles and are not allowed on sidewalks. As a result, elderly people pick up waste paper near roads and move around, exposing themselves to various accidents. A bill to address this issue was already proposed to the National Assembly in 2017 but has been pending in the standing committee for three years.

According to the Bupyeong Police Station in Incheon on the 27th, at around 11:46 a.m., a passenger car driven by a man in his 40s, Mr. A, hit an 80-year-old woman, Ms. B, who was pulling a handcart for collecting waste paper on a road in Sangok-dong, Bupyeong-gu. Ms. B was seriously injured and received emergency treatment including CPR before being transported to a nearby hospital by the 119 emergency medical team but passed away.

According to the police, Mr. A’s car was traveling in the third lane of a three-lane one-way road when it hit a streetlight, collided with Ms. B’s handcart, then crashed into a utility pole and overturned. The handcart Ms. B was pulling was moving facing the vehicle on the road at the time of the accident, according to the investigation.

Earlier, in July, a 74-year-old man, Mr. C, who was jaywalking on a crosswalk in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, was hit by a car and died. Mr. C was also known to have been wandering around early in the morning to collect waste paper when the accident occurred.

Additionally, on the 9th, a woman in her 70s collecting waste paper along the roadside in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

A handcart filled with waste paper is placed at a busy intersection in Seoul. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr.

Among them, elderly people collecting waste paper acknowledge the risk of safety accidents but say they have no choice due to their livelihood.

A man in his 70s met recently around Euljiro in Jung-gu, Seoul, said, "Of course, I know it’s dangerous," but added, "I make a living from waste paper, so if there is waste paper right in front of me, what else can I do?"

Another man in his mid-60s who collects waste paper said, "Cars try to avoid us, but it is still dangerous." He continued, "To collect a lot of waste paper, I have to get up early and go around here and there. It’s dangerous, but I have no choice."

Because of this, there are growing public opinions that elderly people collecting waste paper should be allowed to walk on sidewalks instead of roads.

A company employee in his 30s, Mr. Lee, said, "Elderly people collecting waste paper pick up trash and waste paper placed near roads, so there seem to be many accidents where they get hit by vehicles," and emphasized, "I think they should be allowed to walk on sidewalks." He added, "It might be a bit inconvenient for pedestrians, but it’s still okay."

Another company employee in his 40s, Mr. Kim, said, "I know there are many traffic accidents involving elderly people collecting waste paper," and stressed, "Even if it might be a bit inconvenient for them or pedestrians, if they can walk on sidewalks, at least there won’t be accidents where they get hit by cars."

Currently, handcarts used for collecting waste paper are classified as vehicles under the current law (Article 2, Clause 17 of the Road Traffic Act). Walking on sidewalks instead of roads is illegal and subject to a fine of 30,000 won. Only strollers and electric wheelchairs are exceptionally allowed on sidewalks.

Because they usually pull heavy carts slowly at night or early morning, they are inevitably exposed to traffic and safety accidents. In fact, from 2016 to 2018, there were a total of 19 fatal traffic accidents involving elderly waste paper collectors in Seoul.

An elderly man in his 70s is precariously crossing the roadway, pushing a handcart loaded with scrap paper. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

The National Assembly also recognized the seriousness and attempted to amend the related law in 2017, but the bill is currently pending in the standing committee due to issues such as handcart size standards.

The purpose of the amendment was to revise the law by considering the situation of handcarts traveling on roads as they do now versus using sidewalks. While using sidewalks may cause some inconvenience or minor accidents, it is considered less problematic than losing lives due to accidents on roads.

The explanatory note of the bill submitted to the National Assembly standing committee at the time stated, "Allowing handcarts on sidewalks may cause inconvenience to pedestrians or minor accidents, but requiring handcarts to travel on roads, where there are many vehicles, can disrupt traffic flow and increase the risk of accidents for both handcart users and drivers," and explained, "The bill aims to exclude handcarts from the definition of ‘vehicles’ under this law to improve the practical applicability of current regulations."

Experts have suggested that the tragic accidents involving elderly waste paper collectors must be stopped immediately. A social welfare official said, "The National Assembly has already recognized the seriousness of the issue and attempted to amend the law. This is an urgent matter," and recommended, "Local governments should establish systems to fundamentally prevent safety accidents."