New Pedestrian Crosswalk Installed at Seocho Station Intersection

[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Resolves 12-Year Resident Demand with Existing Underpass Near Supreme Court and Court Registry Office, Adds Left-Turn Waiting Lane, New Bus Stop, and Road Alignment Adjustments to Ease Resident Inconvenience and Improve Traffic Flow

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “Finally, the inconvenience of going up and down the underground passage is gone.” “There was no crosswalk on one side, so I had to walk around, but now that I can cross directly, it’s great.”

Seocho-gu (Mayor Seongsu Jeon) announced that it has completed the installation of an additional crosswalk at the Seocho Station intersection, from the Supreme Court to the Court Registry Office direction, a long-awaited project for the past 12 years, and opened it to residents starting from the 4th.

The Seocho Station intersection is a key traffic hub where Subway Line 2 operates, with about 40,000 pedestrians and 120,000 vehicles passing daily. Although crosswalks were first installed at the Seocho Station intersection in 2010, they were only installed at three of the four corners, excluding the north side of the intersection. For the past 12 years, pedestrians had to detour about 500 meters or use the underground passage to cross the 30-meter distance between the Supreme Court and the Court Registry Office, causing inconvenience.

In response, the district continuously negotiated with the National Police Agency and Seoul City to install a crosswalk, considering the nearby public institutions such as the Supreme Court, Court Registry Office, Prosecutor’s Office, and various commercial facilities.

The district conducted traffic volume and facility status surveys and simulation analyses to resolve vehicle congestion and accident risks caused by the installation of the crosswalk. As a result, they proposed to the National Police Agency and Seoul City alternatives that included ▲ expanding the left-turn waiting lane on Seocho-daero from one lane to two lanes ▲ creating a new bus stop bay in front of Seocho Station Exit 1 ▲ adjusting the road alignment to alleviate vehicle congestion while installing the crosswalk.

The established traffic measures were finally approved in February this year at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s traffic safety facility review. With a budget support of 330 million KRW from Seoul City, construction was carried out in November, and the crosswalk was opened. Notably, Seoul City Council members Hojung Choi and Sanghyuk Park provided multifaceted support, including securing the budget for this construction.

A district official said, “With the opening of this crosswalk, we have achieved both pedestrian convenience and smooth vehicle traffic.”

Meanwhile, the district has been steadily promoting safety facility installation projects to create a safe traffic environment for everyone by newly installing a total of 18 crosswalks over the past five years, including the Bangbae-ro crosswalk near Bangbae-dong Serae Elementary School, which will open in July this year, responding to many residents’ requests.

Seocho Mayor Seongsu Jeon said, “I am pleased that the crosswalk at the Seocho Station intersection, a long-standing wish of residents, was installed with the cooperation of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul City, and local city council members,” adding, “We will continue to promote various projects to create a ‘people-centered, pedestrian-friendly city Seocho.’”