Gangseo-gu Balsan Station Food Alley Transformed into Pedestrian-Friendly Street

Gangseo-gu Completes 'Pedestrian Environment Improvement Project' Around Balsan Station Food Alley, Designates New Pedestrian Priority Roads and Limits Vehicle Speed to Ensure Pedestrian Safety and Revitalize Local Businesses

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The residential roads around Balsan Station Food Alley have been renovated into pedestrian-friendly streets.

Gangseo-gu District Office in Seoul (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced the completion of the "Pedestrian Environment Improvement Project" in the Balsan Station Food Alley area.

The project aimed to improve the poor pedestrian environment of the Food Alley residential roads to ensure pedestrian safety and revitalize the surrounding commercial district.

The area, located near Balsan Station on Subway Line 5, is densely packed with large shopping malls and restaurants, resulting in heavy traffic of both vehicles and pedestrians, which posed a high risk of accidents.

Accordingly, the district office undertook the creation of roads where pedestrians can walk safely. The project was initiated after being selected in the "2020 Seoul City Pedestrian Environment Improvement Project" competition.

First, to prevent pedestrian safety accidents and enhance pedestrian convenience, the sidewalks along Gangseo-ro 56-gil (extending 320m) were expanded from 2m to 4m, and three pedestrian-priority road sections were newly designated.

The pedestrian-priority road sections are Gangseo-ro 52-gil (extending 500m), 54-gil (extending 550m), and Gonghang-daero 38-gil (extending 450m), with road widths of approximately 6 to 8 meters.

Stencil pavement was applied to the road surface to prevent slipping, and various patterns harmonizing with nearby shops were used to create a design street that pedestrians want to walk on.

Additionally, vehicle speed was limited to 30 km/h, and pedestrian-priority roads were created by installing gobos and floodlights to focus on people.

Along with this, security CCTV cameras were installed within the Food Alley to greatly help prevent various crimes.

District Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, "I hope this project provides residents with a safe and pleasant pedestrian environment and helps revitalize the local economy, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19," adding, "We will continue to promote pedestrian environment improvement projects that prioritize people over cars to create a pedestrian-friendly city in Gangseo-gu that is pleasant to walk in."