April 4-7, 7 AM to 8 PM, Odd-Even Vehicle Restriction
‘Rapid Response Team’ Activated in Emergency Situations
Busan City will establish and implement a 'special traffic measure' during the on-site inspection period by the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) to ensure smooth vehicle traffic and to showcase its status as an advanced transportation city ideal for hosting the Expo.
This measure was prepared to express the united will of citizens to host the Expo to the on-site inspection team and to practice the civic consciousness of an advanced transportation city.
To minimize inconvenience to citizens, the city will implement a 'voluntary vehicle restriction system' from April 4 to 7, the four days of the on-site inspection team's visit to Busan, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The restriction applies to non-commercial passenger cars and vans with fewer than 10 seats, excluding vehicles for the disabled and pregnant women. It will operate on an odd-even basis, where vehicles with odd-numbered license plates are restricted on odd days, and those with even-numbered plates on even days.
To increase citizen participation in the vehicle restriction system, the city plans to actively promote the measure using all available promotional means, including traffic facilities, and will conduct a large-scale joint promotional campaign with 16 districts and counties at the end of March.
Public institution parking lots will be required to restrict access to vehicles subject to the restriction system, and cooperation will be sought from private parking lots to participate as well. To foster voluntary participation and minimize vehicle traffic, measures such as promoting carpooling and telecommuting will also be implemented concurrently.
Measures will also be prepared to facilitate the mobility of citizens who actively participate in the vehicle restriction system. Public transportation (buses and urban rail) will be increased, and the frequency of shuttle bus operations run independently by workplaces will also be expanded.
In addition, the city plans to support the use of personal mobility devices (PM) linked with public transportation to increase the public transportation usage rate among citizens.
The city will also prepare and implement measures for emergency situations that may occur during the on-site inspection team's movements.
Learning from the severe congestion caused on major arterial roads in Busan city due to an accident on Dongseo Elevated Road on the 13th, the city will form and operate a 'rapid response team' to prevent secondary accidents and alleviate vehicle congestion in case of emergencies (traffic accidents, vehicle breakdowns, etc.) during the inspection period.
The 'rapid response team' will operate based on close cooperation among the city (Traffic Information Service Center), the police, fire department, and 360 automobile inspection and maintenance associations in the jurisdiction.
Utilizing the information capabilities of the Traffic Information Service Center, equipped with an advanced traffic information system that monitors the overall traffic situation in the area, the city will notify member companies of the automobile inspection and maintenance associations belonging to the 'rapid response team' about emergency locations. The nearest maintenance and towing companies to the accident site will immediately dispatch to swiftly handle the accident.
The operation of the Traffic Information Service Center will also be expanded and strengthened. During the on-site inspection period, the monitoring staff in the center's control room will increase from 7 to 9 to enable more meticulous monitoring, and a temporary communication team (such as a group chat room) will be operated to strengthen cooperation with the police agency.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, "I hope this successful implementation of the vehicle restriction system will be an opportunity to show the on-site inspection team the earnest desire to host the Expo and the civic consciousness of an advanced transportation city," and added, "We ask for the active participation of citizens."
Historically, vehicle restriction systems have been implemented a total of eight times. During the mandatory restriction system enforced at the last APEC summit, a high compliance rate of 96.4% was observed, with a 26.8% reduction in traffic volume and a 9% increase in public transportation usage.
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