Gyeonggi Province is preparing and implementing comprehensive safety measures for personal mobility devices (PM), such as electric kickboards, electric bicycles, and electric wheelchairs, which are considered 'lawless on sidewalks.'
This follows an increase in safety accidents within the province due to the rise in PM companies this year, coupled with the failure to enact the PM Act in the National Assembly. Currently, there are nine PM companies operating in the province, with a total of 69,132 electric kickboards and similar devices in use.
Gyeonggi Province particularly noted that, in the absence of higher-level laws related to PMs, indiscriminate parking and abandonment seriously threaten the 'pedestrian safety' of residents, prompting the introduction of these safety measures.
First, to improve urban aesthetics and alleviate traffic inconvenience, the province will sequentially establish 'open chat rooms' for reporting illegal parking and abandonment of PMs by city and county by the end of this year. In the first phase, when residents report inconveniences through these open chat rooms, shared PM companies will promptly take action, such as voluntary collection within one or three hours, according to the 'Gyeonggi Province PM Parking Guidelines.'
After analyzing the effectiveness of the open chat rooms, if results are unsatisfactory, the province plans to consult with cities and counties to implement stronger second-phase policies, including towing.
Additionally, based on the 'PM Business Agreement' signed in 2021 with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, the Northern and Southern Gyeonggi Police Agencies, and shared PM companies, a 'Public-Private Safety Council' will be formed to inspect the implementation status of each institution.
To prevent safety accidents among users such as adolescents, Gyeonggi Province will also promote mandatory certification of PM operation qualifications in cooperation with shared PM companies.
Under current law (Road Traffic Act), only those holding a Class 2 motorized bicycle license (obtainable from age 16) or higher can use PMs. However, shared PM platforms are not legally required to verify licenses, allowing adolescents to use PMs without a license. Therefore, starting in the second half of this year, the province will work with shared PM companies to restrict PM use to those aged 16 and older through mobile phone identity verification, and will discuss implementing license verification in the future.
Furthermore, to ensure user safety, the installation of helmet storage boxes will be expanded.
Although PM users are legally required to wear helmets, most use PMs without helmets due to hygiene and convenience issues. Most shared PM companies initially provided helmets but discontinued this due to high loss and damage rates.
Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to collaborate with companies to analyze data on loss and damage rates and evaluate the effectiveness of the project. Through budget support projects, the province will expand the installation of helmet storage boxes within PM devices, which have been piloted in some areas such as Uijeongbu and Namyangju, throughout the province.
In addition, to prevent safety accidents involving users and pedestrians and to establish a proper usage culture, the province will strengthen safety education and promotion, as well as build a 'PM Safety Keeper' system utilizing human safety networks such as neighborhood watch groups and Green Mothers' Associations in cities and counties.
The PM Safety Keepers operated by each city and county will be responsible for reporting illegal parking and abandoned PMs (via open chat rooms), rearranging recommended return zones, and conducting safety usage campaigns.
Kim Sang-su, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Transportation Bureau, emphasized, "As the need to spread a proper and safe PM usage culture grows, we will do our best to prepare comprehensive safety management measures based on the voluntary cooperation of shared PM companies."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
