Illegally Parked Two-Wheelers on the Sidewalk... Pedestrian Safety Feels Like a Distant Concern

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Office worker Choi Young-jun (35) recently had a dizzying experience while walking on a sidewalk near his home late at night. He fell while trying to avoid a motorcycle parked on the sidewalk. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, but he said the accident happened because he failed to notice the motorcycle while walking. Choi said, "I was talking with an acquaintance and walking, so I didn't notice the motorcycle parked on the sidewalk," adding, "Seeing that I have to avoid each illegally parked motorcycle one by one, it seems the sidewalk is more for motorcycles than pedestrians."

Due to the expansion of non-face-to-face (untact) consumption and increased delivery demand amid COVID-19, the number of motorcycles has steadily increased. As motorcycles increase, it is common to see two-wheelers parked on sidewalks where parking is prohibited. According to the National Police Agency, the number of illegal motorcycle parking violations has been rising every year. It increased from 705 cases in 2018 to 1,769 in 2019, and then sharply rose to 3,958 cases last year.

Although illegal motorcycle parking has significantly increased, there are difficulties in cracking down on illegal parking on sidewalks. According to the current Road Traffic Act and its enforcement decree, if a motorcycle is parked on a sidewalk, the police can impose a fine of 30,000 KRW. However, the fine can only be imposed by the police on the offender when the illegal parking is actually discovered on-site. On the other hand, the Road Traffic Act does not include provisions allowing local governments to impose fines on motorcycle owners even if illegal parking is not confirmed on-site.

Another factor exacerbating illegal parking is the lack of motorcycle-only parking lots to accommodate motorcycles. As of April this year, there are only 50 motorcycle-only parking lots with 648 spaces installed by each autonomous district. Considering that 454,447 motorcycles were registered in Seoul by August this year, parking spaces are severely insufficient. Moreover, motorcycle-only parking lots are only installed in Jongno, Jung-gu, Gangseo-gu, Guro-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and Gangnam-gu.

Professor Kim Pil-su of Daelim University’s Department of Automotive Engineering said, "Parking or driving motorcycles on sidewalks can greatly threaten pedestrian safety, so such behavior should be avoided and actively cracked down on," adding, "To prevent such illegal acts, it is necessary to increase motorcycle-only parking lots and install them where there is actual parking demand."