4-Hour Daily Traffic Restriction Near Seongok Elementary School, Nowon-gu

Vehicle Entry Restricted from 8-9 AM and 12 PM-3 PM During School Commute Hours
Active Accident Prevention Through Introduction of Smart Traffic Accident Prevention System
- Formation of School Route Safety Monitoring Team to Identify Additional Risk Factors and Establish Rapid Response System

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is receiving great responses from parents for its ongoing 'Customized School Commute Route Improvement Project for Elementary Schools.'

This project aims to improve school commute routes where it is structurally difficult to separate sidewalks and roads, raising safety concerns.

A representative location is the school commute route around Seongok Elementary School in Wolgye-dong. The area around the back gate has long been a concern due to the lack of separation between sidewalks and roads, causing ongoing safety issues. To address this, the district selected it as a priority for improvement and has made significant efforts to create a safe commute route, including holding on-site meetings.

The customized improvement plan for Seongok Elementary School, established in July, aims to 'completely prevent children's traffic accidents' and includes ▲ introduction of a smart traffic accident prevention system ▲ customized maintenance of traffic safety facilities ▲ time-based traffic restrictions ▲ formation of a school commute route safety monitoring team.

First, a 'smart traffic accident prevention system' was introduced. This is a smart AI system that displays alerts on electronic signboards when vehicles approach. The AI camera recognizes objects such as cars and pedestrians up to 50 meters behind and informs drivers of alleyway conditions via the signboard. Messages like 'Caution: Vehicle Approaching' and 'Slow Down When Entering' greatly improve drivers' visibility in blind spots, significantly reducing risks on the Seongok Elementary School commute route where installing dedicated sidewalks is difficult.

Alongside this, customized maintenance of traffic safety facilities was also carried out. The district actively reflected requests from the parent association participating in the on-site meetings, starting with facilities that could be immediately addressed, such as installing no U-turn signs in both directions in front of the back gate and changing the size of no-entry signs, and proceeded with sequential maintenance.

Time-based traffic restrictions aligned with students' school commute hours are also being implemented. To enhance effectiveness, barricades and banners were installed from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., raising awareness among nearby drivers. Although there were many violations early in the project, most drivers now comply with the restrictions without significant resistance due to ongoing publicity and visible efforts like barricades, resulting in high satisfaction among parents.

The district will continue to consult on matters requiring cooperation with related agencies, such as establishing no-parking zones for electric kickboards.

Finally, the operation of the school commute route safety monitoring team is progressing smoothly. Four traffic safety instructors recommended by the school and two members of the Green Mothers' Association participate to monitor students' commute safety in real time and establish a rapid maintenance system.

Meanwhile, following the revised Road Traffic Act enforcement regulations enacted last July, the district has begun installing 'school zone yellow crosswalks' to help drivers easily recognize school zones. Among the 116 child protection zones in the area, those around elementary schools will be prioritized for installation within this year, with plans to expand to areas near daycare centers and kindergartens.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Children have less ability to respond to dangerous situations, so preventing children's traffic accidents is of utmost importance,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to create a walking environment where children and parents can feel safe.”