Was There a Reason Why Nowon-gu Became a 'Bicycle-Friendly City'?

57 Residents of Bicycle Safety Patrol Team Patrol by Bicycle in Local Districts to Identify Inconvenient and Hazardous Elements Such as Bike Lanes, Safety Signs, and Air Pumps... Leading Bicycle Use Promotion with Insurance Enrollment, Free Steam Cleaning Service, and Rack Maintenance Projects for All Residents

Nowon-gu Bicycle Safety Patrol Launch Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is operating the ‘Bicycle Safety Monitoring Team’ to create an environment where bicycles can be enjoyed safely and conveniently.

The Bicycle Safety Monitoring Team is responsible for identifying inconveniences and proposing improvements to hazardous factors when residents use bicycles. This is to actively discover overlooked inconveniences in every corner of the neighborhood from the perspective of residents who actually use bicycles and to communicate with the field regularly.

To this end, the district recruited and selected a total of 57 members by September 29. Their activity period is one year, from October this year to September 30 next year.

The 57 members of the Monitoring Team are divided by area and patrol the region by bicycle. During patrols, they check for inconveniences in convenience facilities such as bicycle roads, air pumps, and safety signs, and identify abandoned bicycles. They also provide opinions and suggestions regarding the additional installation of public bicycles (Ddareungi) and bicycle-related benefit facilities.

The district recognizes volunteer hours for the Monitoring Team’s activities and plans to award the mayor’s commendation to outstanding participants.

In addition, the district is promoting bicycle use by providing free steam cleaning services for bicycles, enrolling all residents in bicycle insurance, and maintaining bicycle racks.

The free steam cleaning service, first implemented on the 5th, is operated at two bicycle rental stations: the Junggye-dong Children’s Traffic Park bicycle rental station and Exit 4 of Sanggye Station. It is available every Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (excluding lunch time from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.). Any Nowon-gu resident can use the service free of charge.

Also, as the number of residents using bicycles gradually increases, the district has enrolled all residents in bicycle insurance annually since 2015. Residents registered in the district are automatically enrolled and can receive compensation up to 10 million KRW in case of an accident. Residents from other areas are also covered by insurance if an accident occurs while using Nowon-gu public bicycles.

Furthermore, to create a pleasant bicycle use environment, the district is continuously maintaining facilities by replacing old bicycle racks at six locations around subway stations such as Sanggye Station and installing new bicycle parking lots.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We have operated the Monitoring Team to listen to residents’ opinions first and foremost in order to create a safe and comfortable bicycle use environment. We will actively accept the Monitoring Team’s opinions and improve bicycle roads and convenience facilities to meet residents’ expectations.”