[Interview] Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, "All-Out Effort to Create a Bicycle-Friendly City"

Providing Psychological Stability to Cyclists in Nowon-gu through 'Bicycle Classes', 'Infrastructure Development' for Safe Riding, and 'District-wide Bicycle Insurance Enrollment' for Accident Preparedness

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “In the city, infrastructure is so lacking that cars and bicycles share the outermost lane of the road, which makes me constantly think about ways to create a better environment for cycling.”

Oh Seung-rok, mayor of Nowon-gu, said this in an interview with Asia Economy, emphasizing efforts to create a bicycle-friendly environment.

It has been six years since Seoul introduced the public bike system, Ddareungi. Ddareungi has gained explosive popularity, ranking first place in Seoul’s top 10 news for three consecutive years, and has become a niche transportation mode in Seoul, covering the equivalent of 5,626 laps around the Earth. Now, even residents of other cities are demanding the service in their own areas.

Mayor Oh stated, “Due to Korea’s road conditions, most bicycle lanes are adjacent to the outermost lanes of roads, making it dangerous as bicycles share the road with vehicles. Since this cannot be immediately resolved, we are focusing on proper cycling convenience and post-management.” He introduced that Nowon-gu is implementing various policies to encourage cycling.

The district’s policies for a bicycle-friendly environment are broadly divided into three categories: ‘Operating bicycle classes’ to teach basic cycling skills, ‘Infrastructure development’ for safe riding, and ‘Enrolling all residents in bicycle insurance’ to provide psychological security to cyclists.

In particular, the bicycle insurance for all residents was first implemented in 2015, the earliest among Seoul’s autonomous districts. Any resident registered in the district is automatically enrolled, and insurance benefits can be received anywhere nationwide regardless of where the accident occurs. Even if a non-resident rents a bike at a Nowon-gu public bicycle rental station and has an accident, the insurance applies. In case of death from a bicycle accident, 10 million KRW is paid; for permanent disability caused by an accident, up to 10 million KRW; and hospitalization consolation money ranges from 200,000 to 600,000 KRW depending on the duration of hospitalization. Up to last year, 1,965 people received a total of 1.3216 billion KRW in compensation for various accidents.

This year, Nowon-gu started offering a new convenience service: bicycle steam cleaning. Launched on October 5, this service is available every Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Junggye-dong Children’s Traffic Park bicycle rental station and the bicycle rental station at Exit 4 of Sanggye Station.

Any Nowon-gu resident can use the service free of charge without prior reservation, and it is available for regular bicycles, mountain bikes, and children’s bicycles. The bicycles are cleaned using high-temperature water and steam, which has a sterilizing effect and removes dust and various contaminants, helping to prevent bicycle aging. To prevent safety accidents, trained personnel who have received training on cleaning methods and safety are stationed at the service locations.

The service is environmentally friendly as it does not use detergents. Palm mats and waterproof sheets are laid at the cleaning sites, and dedicated steel plates and wastewater collectors are installed to prevent wastewater from seeping into the surrounding soil. After a pilot operation at these two locations until November 30, depending on resident response, additional cleaning machines will be installed and operated near bicycle roads and in areas with high demand.

The ‘Bicycle Classes’ for proper cycling are also popular. The target audience is youths aged 14 and older and adults who missed the opportunity to learn cycling earlier. The classes are held at the bicycle training ground under Nokcheon Bridge along Jungnangcheon Stream. The classes run continuously from March to November, excluding the hot summer month of August, with four certified professional instructors providing thorough lessons for 2 hours a day over 8 sessions.

Above all, safe infrastructure is crucial for cycling. Starting with the maintenance of bicycle racks with a capacity of 329 bikes at six locations near subway stations including Sanggye Station on Line 4, the district plans to replace 302 sets of bicycle racks capable of holding about 2,000 bikes around nine subway stations by the second half of this year. Additionally, the district is promoting safe and comfortable bicycle use through various policies such as collecting abandoned bicycles, maintaining bicycle lanes, and installing additional bicycle air pumps.

Nowon-gu’s unique policies also include pavement markings and basic number plates on riverside bicycle roads. According to road safety and traffic data, bicycle accidents increased by about 18.1%, from 4,471 cases in 2018 to 5,633 in 2019. Since it was difficult to provide accurate location information when accidents occurred on riverside bicycle roads, these measures were introduced. In emergencies during bicycle use, precise location identification enables prompt response, and during various events, accurate location markings enhance resident convenience.

The pavement markings assign road names along a 3.3 km section of the Danghyeoncheon bicycle path and indicate the current location on the pavement. These markings, measuring 1m wide by 1m long, are placed at five spots on the ground. The post-type number plates, measuring 30 cm wide by 42 cm long, are installed at seven locations on both sides of the bicycle path.

Furthermore, the district recruits a ‘Bicycle Watchdog Team’ that allows residents who use bicycles to directly inspect bicycle-related facilities and report inconveniences. Once social distancing measures are eased, an intermediate-level class will be added to the existing free bicycle classes to provide level-based cycling education.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon-gu said, “Recently, due to high oil prices, the spread of well-being culture, and especially COVID-19, more people are choosing bicycles for commuting as a safe and eco-friendly alternative to enclosed public transportation like buses and subways.” He added, “We will continue to maintain related facilities and promote various projects to ensure that bicycles can be used safely and comfortably.”