[Seoul District News] Yeongdeungpo-gu to Install 12 Units at 8 Sites Including Public Institutions and Public Parking Lots, Scheduled for Completion in December & 40 Million KRW from City Budget Invested... IoT Sensors Used to Detect Vehicles Entering Charging Zones & 24-Hour Monitoring to Alleviate Electric Vehicle User Inconvenience and Enhance Benefits... Mapo-gu BPA Priority Parking Spaces Selected as Excellent Case by Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2022 Resident Life Innovation... Dongdaemun-gu Completes Smart Pole Installation in Jeonnong-ro Area
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) is promoting a project to establish an 'Electric Vehicle Charging Zone IoT Smart Management System.'
With the rapid increase in electric vehicle adoption every year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's vehicle registration status, the number of electric vehicles registered as of the third quarter of this year is approaching 350,000.
Complaints related to the use of chargers due to illegal parking and obstruction of charging in electric vehicle charging zones are also continuously increasing. Accordingly, the district plans to expand the installation of smart devices equipped with IoT sensors that can immediately provide guidance effects in charging zones.
In August, the district was selected for the first Seoul city public contest project, ‘Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Zone IoT Smart Management System,’ securing approximately 40 million KRW in city funds. By December this year, 12 IoT smart terminals will be installed at eight locations with high complaint volumes, including public parking lots and public institutions such as Dangsan Neighborhood Park and Yeongdeungpo-gu Community Center.
The IoT smart terminals recognize the license plates of vehicles entering the charging zones to immediately verify whether they are electric vehicles. If the vehicle is not electric, a voice message informing that a fine may be imposed is played, and the warning light at the top of the terminal displays red to encourage the vehicle to move voluntarily.
The district expects that the IoT smart management system will fundamentally block charging obstruction acts, enable 24-hour continuous monitoring, and facilitate rapid illegal parking enforcement and complaint handling, thereby enhancing the convenience of electric vehicle use for residents.
Furthermore, the district achieved final selection in the second Seoul city public contest project, ‘Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Zone IoT Smart Management System,’ conducted in October. With an additional 48 million KRW in city funds secured, the district plans to increase the number of smart management devices by 15 units at eight electric vehicle charging zones by early next year.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “We plan to continuously improve the electric vehicle usage environment so that there is no inconvenience in using electric vehicles anywhere in the region,” adding, “We will continue to promote various technology convergence projects to establish a proper electric vehicle charging culture and create a smart environment city.”
Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Kang-soo) was selected as an excellent institution in the '2022 Resident Life Innovation Cases' hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and received the ‘Innovation Champion Plaque.’
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety selects innovative cases from local governments that need nationwide dissemination and awards the ‘Innovation Champion Plaque’ to excellent institutions. This year, out of 510 excellent cases nationwide, 34 were finally selected through evaluation and voting. Among them, Mapo-gu’s BPA Considerate Parking Space (photo) was selected as an excellent case and received the innovation plaque.
Mapo-gu’s BPA (Broad Parking Area) Considerate Parking Space is a parking space for all vulnerable road users who need consideration regardless of gender, including Baby Caring Persons, Pregnant Persons, and Aged Persons.
The district initiated the project with a comprehensive approach, recognizing that the existing women-only parking spaces could cause reverse discrimination controversies or become a trigger for crimes against women, and that anyone can become a vulnerable road user depending on the situation, not limited to gender.
The BPA is a wider parking space with an additional 50cm of horizontal space compared to conventional general parking spaces, using a neutral light purple color without distinguishing between men and women. The design was created directly by the Mapo-gu Family Happiness Support Division, and due to the originality of the design and name, it was registered with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.
A district official said, “With the selection as a 2022 Resident Life Innovation Case, we plan to expand this across local governments and private companies nationwide, providing a good example that offers convenient parking not only for Mapo-gu residents but for everyone.”
Currently, BPA Considerate Parking Spaces are installed in 21 spots, including the underground parking lot of Mapo-gu Office, welfare centers, public parking lots, and libraries in the area. The district plans to actively reflect this in new public parking lot installations in the future.
Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “We hope that the elderly who had difficulty moving due to narrow parking spaces can feel some comfort in their activities by using Mapo-gu’s specialized considerate parking spaces,” adding, “Based on the district administration philosophy of walking with the vulnerable, Mapo-gu will do its best to continuously create innovative cases that carefully consider even the smallest aspects of residents’ daily lives.”
Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) has completed the smart pole installation project in the Jeonnong-ro area.
A smart pole is a smart city infrastructure that integrates advanced information and communication technology (ICT) into road facilities such as streetlights, traffic lights, and CCTV poles, combining technologies such as public Wi-Fi, electric charging, and autonomous cooperative driving depending on the purpose.
The district was finally selected in April for the ‘2022 Smart Pole Standard Model Expansion Project Autonomous District Contest’ held by Seoul City and received a total budget of 125 million KRW to promote the smart pole installation project.
The project section covers 1.3 km from Jeonnong-dong Intersection to Dapsimni 1-dong Intersection. A total of 10 Seoul city streetlight-type smart poles were installed, with additional functions added according to the installation location.
To improve urban aesthetics and traffic environment, the district integrated streetlight poles and CCTV poles and additionally installed smart poles with security CCTV functions at alley entrances. Smart poles capable of collecting data on floating populations and vehicle traffic volumes were installed near intersections and traditional markets, and smart poles combined with fire detection sensors were installed at traditional market entrances to enhance safety.
Additionally, smart poles equipped with S-Dot composite sensors capable of collecting environmental information such as fine dust, temperature, and humidity were installed, bringing the district one step closer to a smart city.
In particular, the district simultaneously promoted this project with the Jeonnong-ro 4-gil road expansion construction, the diagonal crosswalk change project at the intersections of Jeonnong-ro and Jeonnong-ro 3·4-gil, and the Jeonnong-ro pedestrian environment improvement project to prevent overlapping construction and maximize the effect of urban aesthetics improvement projects.
A district official said, “Through this smart pole installation project, we have enhanced residents’ convenience and laid the foundation for our district’s smart city,” adding, “We will continue to discover and provide smart city services that residents can feel, striving to improve residents’ quality of life and strengthen urban competitiveness.”
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