Seoul City Strengthens Shared PM Management Reflecting Citizens' Voices

9 out of 10 people have experienced unauthorized neglect and felt discomfort

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Seoul City announced on the 16th that it has prepared measures to strengthen the management of shared personal mobility devices (shared PM). Reflecting the results of a citizen awareness survey on shared PM, which is becoming an active new mode of transportation, the city will promote strong policy implementation and institutional improvements based on citizens' opinions.

First, Seoul City conducted an online survey of about 3,000 people to incorporate citizens' opinions on the problems and solutions related to shared PM into policy. According to the survey response analysis, 43.3% of respondents said they have experience using shared PM. Among them, 19.5% reported using it more than once a week.

On the other hand, users' awareness of usage rules varied. Awareness was relatively high regarding the necessity of a driver's license and mandatory safety equipment such as helmets, but awareness of usage rules related to pedestrian safety, such as 'No parking in towing zones' (53.2%) and 'No walking on sidewalks' (51.1%), was low. Additionally, 27.5% of respondents were unaware that a motorized device driver's license is required.

Furthermore, 79.8% of the surveyed individuals, nearly 8 out of 10, reported experiencing inconvenience due to shared PMs traveling on sidewalks, and among them, 68.5% felt threatened by PMs traveling at high speeds. Notably, 89.1% of citizens, equivalent to 9 out of 10, have witnessed unauthorized abandonment of PMs, and among them, 95.9% felt inconvenienced, revealing that the problem of unauthorized abandonment is serious.

Citizens identified 'strengthening the PM towing system' as the most favored solution to unauthorized abandonment of shared PMs, with 60.6% support, followed by 'enhancing the management capabilities of companies' at 45.4%. The overall problems with shared PMs were cited as 'lack of user awareness (60.0%)', 'unauthorized parking and abandonment (58.2%)', and 'unlicensed users (55.2%)'.

Seoul City stated that it will reflect these citizen survey opinions by implementing strong policies that resonate with citizens and pursuing institutional improvements.

First, to minimize citizen inconvenience, immediate towing will be enforced for unauthorized parking in five zones including subway stations and bus stops during weekday rush hours. Second, since more than half of citizens feel threatened by the high speed of shared PMs, the city will request the industry to reduce the PM speed from the current 25 km/h to 20 km/h and plans to promote amendments to the Road Traffic Act accordingly.

Third, management and supervision of shared PM companies will be strengthened. A penalty will be imposed by abolishing the existing one-hour grace period for immediate towing zones if shared PM companies fail to verify unlicensed users. Fourth, due to the absence of related laws, there are limitations in management and supervision, so the city plans to actively request the National Assembly to promptly pass a bill changing the current reporting system for rental operators to a registration system.

Until the legal amendment is made, the city will pursue ordinance revisions focusing on requiring operators to provide helmets, secure and operate parking lots, and attach safety operation guidelines.

Meanwhile, Seoul City has been establishing a proactive system, including completing the construction of a 'citizen reporting system' that allows easy reporting via QR codes for citizens' convenience.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, said, “We will continue to do our best to realize proactive transportation administration that reflects citizens' voices in policies,” and added, “As Seoul City is doing its utmost to establish a foundation for the safe use of personal mobility devices, we also request the National Assembly to promptly pass the related laws.”