Gwangjin-gu 'Road Diet' Creating a Safer Environment for Pedestrians

[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu Begins 'Road Diet' to Narrow Roadways and Expand Sidewalks by December Next Year & Ttukseom-ro 31-gil Under Construction with New 8m Sidewalk in Disconnected Section, Sidewalk Width Expanded from 1.2m to 2m & Total of 5 Areas Including 4 Others Targeted for Completion to Ensure Pedestrian Rights and Improve Urban Aesthetics

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) will undertake a "road diet" by December 2023 to create a safer environment for pedestrians.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, has promoted "creating a pedestrian environment where people with disabilities and the elderly can walk safely" as one of the pledges of the 8th local government administration.

Accordingly, the district plans to investigate the current status of roads with flowerpots or obstacles on the roadway, then implement a "road diet" by narrowing the roadway and expanding the sidewalks to guarantee pedestrian rights and improve the urban landscape.

The locations where sidewalk expansion is planned include five areas: ▲ Ttukseom-ro 31-gil (Daedong Apartment, Jayang 4-dong) ▲ Yongmasan-ro 22-gil (Yonggok Elementary School, Junggok 4-dong) ▲ Neungdong-ro 10-gil (Dongja Elementary School, Jayang 3-dong) ▲ Achasan-ro (Yangjin Elementary School, Gwangjang-dong) ▲ Ttukseom-ro 56-gil and Jayang-ro 5-gil (Seongja Elementary School, Jayang 2-dong).

The sidewalk expansion construction has already started at "Ttukseom-ro 31-gil (Daedong Apartment, Jayang 4-dong)." The district will create a new sidewalk on an 8-meter disconnected section, widening the total 160-meter sidewalk from 1.2 meters to 2 meters to provide a safe walking path. Additionally, the aged roadway will be repaved, and flowerpots and obstacles on the road will be removed to create a clean and pleasant road.

To this end, the district conducted on-site surveys, established a basic plan, collected residents' opinions, and submitted the traffic safety facility review to the Gwangjin Police Station. The review was approved, and construction began in September. Completion is expected by December this year.

For the remaining four areas, including "Yongmasan-ro 22-gil (Yonggok Elementary School, Junggok 4-dong)," the district plans to expand the narrow sidewalks by December 2023 after going through procedures such as collecting residents' opinions and police station reviews.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, "Since people come first, we will do our best to create a safe environment for pedestrians," adding, "We are mandatorily listening to residents' opinions during the sidewalk expansion process, so we hope many will share their views."