Division of 3 Zones for Traffic Impact Assessment, Boundary Projects Require Consultation with Adjacent Cities and Counties
Traffic Impact Assessment Ordinance to be Enforced from January Next Year, Traffic Measures Considering Regional Characteristics
[Asia Economy Reporter La Youngcheol] Starting next year, Gyeonggi Province will conduct traffic impact assessments tailored to three regional zones based on local characteristics. Therefore, projects located within 1 km of city or county boundaries must mandatorily consult with adjacent municipalities on traffic measures before proceeding.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 27th that the "'Gyeonggi-do Traffic Impact Assessment Target Projects and Scope Ordinance'" will be enforced from January 1st next year.
The traffic impact assessment system is a statutory review required before project approval, established under the 'Urban Traffic Readjustment Promotion Act' to prepare traffic improvement measures that minimize various traffic problems arising from urban development projects, logistics centers, large marts, and other projects of a certain scale or larger.
Until this year, traffic impact assessments for projects within the province were conducted according to the 'Urban Traffic Readjustment Promotion Act.' However, due to the accelerating gap between urban and rural areas and to minimize traffic problems after project completion through prior traffic measures, a separate guideline was established through the enactment of this ordinance.
The main points include ▲designation of 'traffic impact assessment zones' considering regional characteristics ▲establishment of 'criteria for target projects' by zone ▲creation of 'new target projects' reflecting social changes ▲and establishment of 'Gyeonggi Province review criteria' to develop organic traffic measures between cities and counties.
Until this year, the target projects and scope for traffic impact assessments were uniformly applied across Gyeonggi Province. From next year, the province will be divided into three zones: ▲Zone 1 - urban traffic readjustment areas in eup and dong (e.g., Suwon City, Suji District of Yongin City) ▲Zone 2 - urban traffic readjustment areas in myeon (e.g., Seosan-myeon, Hwaseong City) and traffic zones in eup and dong (e.g., Yeheung-dong, Yeoju City) ▲Zone 3 - traffic zones in myeon (e.g., Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong County; Gunnam-myeon, Yeoncheon County).
The province has set different criteria for traffic impact assessment target projects and scope, such as a total floor area of 36,000㎡ or more for multi-family housing in Zone 1, 50,000㎡ or more in Zone 2, and 90,000㎡ or more in Zone 3.
Separately, projects previously excluded from traffic impact assessments but which caused traffic problems due to insufficient traffic measures?such as 'district unit plans in non-urban areas,' 'arboretum development projects,' 'marina port development projects,' and 'indoor racetrack and cycle racing building projects'?have been designated as subject to traffic impact assessments.
Additionally, knowledge industry centers, which previously underwent traffic impact assessments under the same standards as factories despite social and environmental changes, have been separately classified to require dedicated traffic measures.
Projects developed within 1 km of city or county boundaries in Gyeonggi Province must add a step of 'consulting opinions from adjacent local governments' before submitting the preliminary review supplement. This ensures that traffic measures are developed through mandatory consultation between municipalities. If the project owner cannot accept the opinions of adjacent local governments, the province will directly mediate between cities and counties to assist in the review process.
The 'Gyeonggi-do Traffic Impact Assessment Guidelines' prepared following the enactment of this ordinance include standards for preparing traffic impact assessment reports and operational criteria for reviews considering changing traffic flows.
Main points include ▲establishing 'field survey days and residential use standards' that reflect reality ▲adding 'traffic safety measures within multi-family housing complexes' to strengthen effectiveness in traffic safety ▲minimizing burdens by allowing 'simplified reviews' for new small-scale target projects ▲and shortening review periods by holding 'at least one review session per month.'
Field surveys such as traffic condition investigations and traffic volume surveys are conducted on the day with the highest traffic volume by project use. For certain facilities like cultural and assembly venues, the survey day has been changed from Sunday to the weekend, allowing surveys on either Saturday or Sunday when actual traffic volume is highest.
Residential uses in multi-family housing are separately classified for investigation and analysis, including new residential types such as residential officetels, apartels, and living-type lodging facilities. In particular, it is mandatory to establish separate traffic safety measures within apartment complexes and to prepare safety measures for construction vehicles near elementary schools.
To minimize burdens arising from the enforcement of this ordinance, newly added projects under the ordinance are designated as simplified traffic impact assessments, with the scope of field surveys and analyses minimized.
To shorten the time required for traffic impact assessment reviews, the approving authority will hold review sessions at least once a month. In unavoidable cases, cities and counties will submit reviews to Gyeonggi Province to enhance the speed of traffic impact assessment reviews.
Previously, to prevent confusion that might arise from the enforcement of the ordinance and guidelines, the province held a 'Gyeonggi-do Traffic Impact Assessment System Improvement Briefing' on the 16th of last month.
A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "With the enforcement of the Gyeonggi-do Traffic Impact Assessment Ordinance, we will operate a traffic impact assessment system suited to regional and social conditions," adding, "It will serve as a leading opportunity to establish effective traffic measures."
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