Speed Limits: 50km on General Roads, 30km in Protection Zones and Residential Areas, Nationwide Enforcement from the 17th

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The ‘Safe Speed 5030’ policy, which lowers the speed limit on general urban roads to 50 km/h, will be fully implemented nationwide.

On the 15th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that starting from the 17th, the ‘Safe Speed 5030’ policy will be enforced, reducing vehicle speed limits in urban areas with heavy pedestrian traffic to 50 km/h on general roads (60 km/h may be applied if necessary for traffic flow) and to 30 km/h or less on residential and other side streets.

To ensure the stable introduction and establishment of the ‘Safe Speed 5030’ policy, the government formed the ‘Safe Speed 5030 Council’ in 2016, consisting of 12 public, private, and academic organizations including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the National Police Agency. Based on pilot operations in Busan (Yeongdo-gu in 2017) and Seoul (within the Four Great Gates in 2018), as well as foreign cases and research results, the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules were revised. Starting with the full implementation in Busan in November 2019, the policy area has gradually expanded.

As a result of the pilot operations, pedestrian traffic accident fatalities in Yeongdo-gu, Busan decreased by 37.5%, and serious pedestrian traffic accident injuries within the Four Great Gates in Seoul decreased by 30%, confirming consistent reductions in deaths and injuries. In particular, in Busan, where full implementation began in November 2019, pedestrian traffic accident fatalities in 2020 decreased by 33.8% compared to the previous year, indicating a significant effect on pedestrian traffic safety.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety emphasized that although there were concerns about traffic congestion, driving experiments in large cities such as Seoul and Busan showed almost no change in travel time, indicating that lowering speed limits does not significantly affect vehicle traffic flow.

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, “While it may feel somewhat awkward and inconvenient at the beginning of implementation, traffic safety, which is directly related to life, is a responsibility and duty that all citizens must uphold. It is necessary to actively participate in this new change with a mature awareness.” The official also urged drivers to remember that when they get out of their cars, they become pedestrians, and that pedestrians could be their precious family members, encouraging active efforts to foster a pedestrian-centered traffic culture.