Why Did He Suddenly Look Up While Crossing at the Green Light?

Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Audit Highlights Management Lapses
"Hard to See" vs "Necessary for Students" Debate

Although 'floor-type pedestrian traffic lights' have rapidly appeared to improve the environment in child and elderly protection zones, concerns have been raised about the high risk of accidents due to errors such as different lights turning on compared to the actual traffic lights. On the 11th, Yonhap News reported that Park Ok-bun (Democratic Party of Korea, Suwon 2), a member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, raised this issue during the administrative audit of the Construction Bureau by the Construction and Transportation Committee. She also requested a detailed cause analysis and the establishment of improvement measures from the Construction Bureau.

Photo of a malfunctioning smart traffic light presented by Gyeonggi Province Assembly member Park Ok-bun. Provided by the office of Assembly member Park Ok-bun.

Assemblywoman Park pointed out, "Many people cross the street while looking at their smartphones, so they might only look at the floor lights, but malfunctions and errors where the floor LED and the traffic light signals do not match occur frequently." She added, "Facilities built at considerable cost are not being properly managed," and said, "As traffic facilities increase, the malfunction problem is serious, so thorough post-management is necessary to prevent pedestrian traffic accidents."

Earlier, Gyeonggi Province spent 67.9 billion KRW this year alone (33.95 billion KRW from provincial funds and 33.95 billion KRW from city and county funds) on installing safety facilities such as floor traffic lights, traffic safety signs, and traffic signals to prevent traffic accidents in child and elderly protection zones. A Gyeonggi Province official said, "There has been no investigation into management status since installation, but there is a concern that floor LEDs may malfunction if subjected to vehicle loads," and added, "Regarding signal mismatches and related signal systems, cooperation with the police is required, and we will check on this." Assemblywoman Park also urged residents to be cautious. She said, "There are often cases where the traffic light and the floor signals differ, raising concerns about pedestrian traffic accidents, so pedestrians should not only look at the floor signals but confirm the signals accurately before crossing the street."

Although "floor-type pedestrian traffic lights" have proliferated to improve the environment of child and elderly protection zones, there have been concerns about the high risk of accidents due to errors such as lights turning on differently from the actual traffic lights. Photo by Okbun Park, Office of Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Member

Meanwhile, there is controversy over the effectiveness of floor traffic lights operated by local governments nationwide because they are not easily visible during the daytime. Some citizens criticize that keeping floor traffic lights on during the day, when their effectiveness has not been proven, is a waste of budget, while others argue that it is better than having none. Floor traffic lights shine brightly at night, making it easier for pedestrians to recognize the walk signal. For this reason, some citizens are satisfied with turning on floor traffic lights at night. On the other hand, some citizens have filed complaints that the floor traffic lights are too bright at night and cause glare.

Additionally, during the day, sunlight makes it relatively difficult to recognize the colors of the floor traffic lights compared to nighttime. Sometimes the color of the floor traffic lights is similar to the surrounding pavement blocks, making it hard to quickly recognize color changes. Because of this, some voices claim that floor traffic lights are ineffective during the day. There are also criticisms that keeping floor traffic lights on when they are ineffective wastes electricity costs and thus the budget. Conversely, some citizens argue that floor traffic lights are effective during the day for students and others who walk while looking at their smartphones.