Increasing Trend of Bicycle Collision Accidents
Promotion of Pedestrian Path Separation and Other Measures
Calls for Speed Limit Enforcement
Last weekend at Hangang Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul, a road bike rider was frequently crossing the center line of the two-way bicycle path and riding at high speed. A Ttareungi bike coming from the opposite direction hurriedly turned toward the pedestrian path to avoid a collision, creating a tense moment where pedestrians crossing the bike path nearly collided with the road bike traveling at over 20 km/h.
A bicycle is riding while stepping on the center line of the bike lane at Hangang Park in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Lee Ji-eun]
Recently, Hangang Park has been suffering from the so-called "Jarani (bicycle + goral)" speeding around. More than 100 accidents occur every year, and there are calls for a speed limit on bicycle riding to ensure citizens' safety.
According to the Future Hangang Headquarters on the 8th, an average of 106 bicycle accidents occur annually in Hangang Park. By year, there were 94 cases in 2020, 106 in 2021, 107 in 2022, and 116 in 2023, showing an increasing trend each year. By accident type, last year, 44 accidents were caused by the rider’s negligence, the highest number. This was followed by 42 bicycle-to-bicycle collisions and 8 collisions between pedestrians and bicycles. Collisions between personal mobility devices (PM) such as electric kickboards and bicycles were recorded as 2 cases.
In November last year, Seoul City announced the "Comprehensive Improvement of Hangang Park Bicycle Paths" and began measures to prevent speeding accidents. First, AI-based CCTV capable of detecting bicycle speeding is being installed, and a smart system that displays riding speed on electronic signboards and broadcasts safety driving guidance when speeding is detected is being established. Currently, there are 33 smart systems, with 7 more to be added by next year.
Additionally, projects to separate bicycle paths and pedestrian paths are underway. Bicycle paths and pedestrian paths, which were previously only separated by lane markings and guide posts, are being divided by green zones to ensure safety. The total length of bicycle paths in Hangang Park is 78 km, of which 40.2 km are separated from pedestrian paths. Seoul City plans to increase the fully separated sections by 10.6 km by next year.
However, these measures are considered advisory and it is pointed out that they are insufficient to fundamentally prevent bicycle speeding. Seoul City has proposed to the government to limit bicycle path speeds to 20 km/h, but is facing difficulties in amending the Road Traffic Act. This is because bicycles, unlike cars, do not have license plates, making enforcement difficult.
Professor Choi Jaewon of the Road Traffic Authority explained, "Currently, vehicle traffic speed is limited to 20 km/h on pedestrian-priority roads. At this speed, the probability of death in a collision between a vehicle and a person is significantly low," adding, "Reducing bicycle riding speed clearly has an effect in reducing accident damage."
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