Busan City, Who Benefits from Toll Exemptions on Paid Roads During the Lunar New Year Holiday?

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Busan City waived toll fees on 8 toll roads during this Lunar New Year holiday period to ease the transportation cost burden for travelers returning home and visitors to their hometowns, benefiting a total of 1,715,919 vehicles.

The average daily traffic volume during this Lunar New Year holiday was 413,032 vehicles, a 23.75% increase compared to the 333,775 vehicles per day during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday, and a 5.86% increase compared to last year’s daily traffic volume.

This increase is attributed to the reinstatement of toll fee waivers on toll roads during holidays, which had been suspended for two and a half years to prevent the spread of COVID-19, leading to more users of toll roads during the holiday period.

Looking at traffic volume by road, tourist roads such as Geogadaero and Cheonma Tunnel saw a significant increase in traffic volume ranging from approximately 39% to 47%, while roads mainly used for commuting, such as Gwangandaero and Baekyang and Sujeongsan Tunnels, showed relatively smaller effects from the toll fee waiver.

Traffic volume by road axis was ① Coastal Road Axis: 217,268 vehicles ② Gateway Road Axis: 116,993 vehicles ③ Sanseong Tunnel Connected Road Axis: 169,827 vehicles. It was found that travelers used coastal road axes such as Gwangandaegyo Bridge and Busan Harbor Bridge for sightseeing during the holiday.

The continuous toll discount system for toll roads, first implemented nationwide by Busan City on April 15 last year, also appears to have contributed to the increase in traffic volume during this Lunar New Year holiday period.

The continuous toll discount system provides a 200 KRW discount at each tollgate starting from the second tollgate.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “It seems that many citizens and visitors benefited from the toll fee waiver during the Lunar New Year holiday and were able to enjoy a pleasant holiday. We will continue to review measures to reduce the burden of toll fees on toll roads in the future.”