Geumcheon-gu Installs 'LED Floor Traffic Lights' for Pedestrian Safety

Installation of 'LED Floor Traffic Lights' at 11 Locations with High Pedestrian Traffic Such as Subway Stations and School Routes... 'Pedestrian Signal Voice Guidance Assist Devices' Installed at 5 Locations Around Schools

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) has installed ‘LED floor traffic lights’ at a total of 11 locations, including intersections with heavy pedestrian traffic, school routes, and crosswalks, to ensure pedestrian safety.

‘LED floor traffic lights’ are auxiliary traffic signals that display the same signals as traffic lights by installing LED panels on the ground at the crosswalk stop lines.

The district installed LED floor traffic lights at three subway stations with heavy pedestrian traffic during commuting hours (Gasan Digital Complex Station, Doksan Station, Geumcheon-gu Office Station), two locations on Munseong-ro in Doksan 3-dong, a school-dense area, three locations around Geumnarae Elementary School, and one location each on Geumha-ro, Beotkkot-ro, and Doksan-ro, which are adjacent to the entrance of Siheung Elementary School.

LED floor traffic lights are effective in preventing traffic accidents not only for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly but also for pedestrians who do not pay attention to their surroundings while looking at their smartphones (commonly called “smombies”).

They are also expected to prevent jaywalking and ensure the safety of pedestrians who wait for signals on the roadway instead of the sidewalk.

Additionally, securing visibility at night is expected to have a significant effect on preventing nighttime traffic accidents.

Furthermore, the district installed ‘pedestrian signal voice guidance auxiliary devices’ at five locations in total, including ‘Geumha-ro Siheung Elementary School entrance,’ ‘Geumnarae Elementary School back gate,’ ‘Doksan-ro Jeongsim Elementary School entrance,’ and two locations on Munseong-ro, to enhance pedestrian safety.

The ‘pedestrian signal voice guidance auxiliary device’ is a smart traffic facility that detects when a pedestrian enters the roadway during a red signal using sensors and emits a warning sound saying, “It is dangerous, please step back,” allowing pedestrians to recognize the danger.

Both projects were implemented with support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the district plans to expand the projects by additionally reviewing areas with high operational effectiveness based on residents’ feedback.

Along with this, to strengthen safety on school routes following the revision of the Road Traffic Act (commonly known as the Min-sik Act), the district has installed 10 speed enforcement cameras within child protection zones of local elementary schools and is supporting the National Police Agency to operate them starting next year.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We will focus on creating a city where pedestrians are safe by continuously maintaining traffic facilities around schools, strengthening illegal parking enforcement, improving the walking environment on school routes, and continuously introducing smart traffic facilities to ensure the safety of children’s passage.”