"Expansion of Stop Line Distance to 5m in Front of Crosswalk"
Seo Im-seok, Gwangju City Council Member, Proposes Through '5-Minute Free Speech'
Seo Im-seok, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party, Nam-gu 1), called for traffic safety policies to successfully promote the "Daejabo City" Gwangju project during the 5-minute free speech at the 329th 2nd plenary session on the 15th.
Councilor Seo emphasized, "It is necessary to strengthen pedestrian safety by expanding the stop line distance at crosswalks and introducing smart crosswalk technology."
He mentioned, "Other local governments such as Cheongju, Seoul, and Busan are implementing various policies to reduce pedestrian traffic accidents," adding, "They are introducing expanded stop line distances, smart crosswalks, and various advanced technologies for pedestrian safety." He further stated, "If the budget is efficiently executed with priority given to reducing traffic accidents and preventing casualties, long-term cost-saving effects can also be expected."
According to the Police Agency's work manual, stop lines can be installed 2 to 5 meters ahead of crosswalks, but currently, the stop line distance at crosswalks in Gwangju is mostly only 2 to 3 meters, and it is expanded to 5 meters only in some accident-prone sections.
Although autonomous districts including Seo-gu and Nam-gu are implementing or introducing these traffic safety policies, Gwangju City is reluctant to adopt them due to budget shortages and concerns about traffic congestion in some sections.
Councilor Seo proposed, "If the risk of accidents involving bicycle and personal mobility device (PM) users, as well as pedestrians, is reduced, more citizens will be able to walk and use bicycles with peace of mind," adding, "This will be a successful foundation for Daejabo City Gwangju."
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