Installation of Smart Traffic Safety Systems Alongside Pedestrian Paths on Mixed-Use Roads (Children's School Routes, Residential Areas) Without Separate Sidewalks... Following This Year's Pilot Project, Annual Plans Will Be Established from 2022 to Expand 'Seocho-Type Safe Walking Paths'
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Since the enactment of the ‘Min-sik Law,’ which imposes heavier penalties for traffic accidents occurring in school zones, awareness of pedestrian safety, especially for children, has been steadily increasing.
Additionally, Seocho-gu has been experiencing high traffic congestion and numerous construction sites due to redevelopment projects, leading to growing demands from residents for safer walking environments.
In response, Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Cho) has launched the creation of ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Paths’ on residential backstreets and children’s school routes?areas where pedestrian and vehicle traffic mix, increasing the risk of accidents and causing inconvenience.
First, to smoothly implement the ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Paths,’ the district formed a dedicated team consisting of relevant departments, the Seocho Future Policy Research Group (Chairman Kwangmin Ko), a research group of the Seocho District Council, and external experts.
On May 11, the Seocho Future Policy Research Group signed a business agreement to officially begin the project for establishing the ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Paths.’
The district identified demand for the installation of ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Paths’ by analyzing children’s school routes, pedestrian accident hotspots, and areas with frequent requests for sidewalks. Starting in October, construction will begin to separate pedestrian and vehicle lanes and install safety facilities.
After completing the pilot project this year, Seocho-gu plans to develop annual plans from 2022 onward to gradually expand the project. It is expected that the implementation of the ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Path Project’ will significantly reduce pedestrian traffic accidents.
Seocho-gu was the first in the nation to introduce the ‘Runway-type Crosswalk,’ which embeds LED guide lights on both sides of non-signalized crosswalks prone to frequent accidents, in 2018. Since its introduction, 181 locations have been equipped with this system, reducing the recurrence rate of traffic accidents to 1%.
Furthermore, the district is actively working on building smart crosswalks equipped with ground-level traffic lights and pedestrian voice guidance aids. Last year, it introduced smart motion sensors that detect the movements of pedestrians and drivers and notify each other, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring pedestrian safety.
Mayor Eunhee Cho stated, “We will continue to promote the ‘Seocho-type Safe Walking Path Project’ along with improvements to traffic safety facilities to secure pedestrian safety.”
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