Operation of Yonsero Public Transport-Only Zone Temporarily Suspended Until End of September

Seoul City to Implement from 00:00 on the 20th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will temporarily suspend the operation of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone located in Seodaemun-gu from the 20th until the end of September. Accordingly, vehicle traffic such as passenger cars, which had been prohibited, will be allowed, and future directions will be reviewed after analyzing the impact on commercial districts and traffic.

The city announced on the 4th that it will announce the temporary suspension of the operation of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone starting tomorrow, and the operation will be temporarily suspended from 00:00 on the 20th until the end of September. Until now, only buses, vans with 16 or more seats, emergency vehicles, and bicycles were allowed to pass within the public transportation-only zone, but with this temporary allowance, all modes of transportation including passenger cars and taxis will be able to enter and exit the zone. However, reflecting the results of the traffic safety facility review, two-wheeled vehicles will be continuously restricted.

The Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone, the first pedestrian and public transportation-only space created by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, was established in January 2014 as a cultural street where people can walk, rest, and enjoy, rather than just a thoroughfare.

However, since 2018, due to the continuous deterioration of the Sinchon commercial district, sales decline caused by COVID-19 since 2020, and traffic inconvenience due to vehicle detours, local residents and Sinchon merchants have consistently requested the lifting of the public transportation-only zone. On September 23 last year, Seodaemun-gu officially requested the lifting of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone to improve vehicle accessibility, resolve traffic inconveniences, and revive the Sinchon commercial district.

The city has considered it necessary to conduct a comprehensive review to determine whether the establishment of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone has had a real impact on the commercial district based on traffic impact analyses such as traffic volume and travel speed, as well as sales figures. In addition, on November 21 last year, a citizen forum was held jointly with Seodaemun-gu, gathering various opinions from experts and stakeholders regarding the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone.

After the forum, on December 2, Seodaemun-gu requested a temporary suspension of the operation of the public transportation-only zone, citing the need to verify the necessity of lifting the zone. The city prepared a plan to promote the temporary suspension after reviewing relevant laws and consulting with related organizations (Seodaemun-gu, police, etc.).

Even if the operation of the public transportation-only zone is temporarily suspended from the 20th, the current pedestrian environment such as the sidewalk width of Yonsei-ro (7?8 meters) and the two-lane road (lane width 3.5 meters) will be maintained, and the signal systems at Yonsei University Intersection and Sinchon Rotary will remain as they are.

The city, together with Seodaemun-gu, will investigate and utilize commercial district-related data (credit card sales data, floating population, etc.) and traffic-related data (traffic volume, travel speed, delay rate, etc.) for Sinchon Yonsei-ro from January to June. From July to September, it will analyze the impact of the public transportation-only zone on the commercial district and traffic, and based on the comprehensive analysis results, will make a final decision on the future operation direction of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone by the end of September.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, “Since the pedestrian environment in Yonsei-ro has improved with sidewalk widening and removal of pedestrian obstacles such as distribution boxes, there is expected to be no disruption to citizens’ use of pedestrian paths and traffic convenience. We will carefully analyze future situations and listen to a wide range of citizen opinions to reflect them in the promotion direction of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone.”