City Councilor Choi Seoyoon Urges Gwangju City to Establish Traffic Safety and Road-Transportation System Measures

Inquiry on Traffic Issues of Sido Line 21 Saemal-gil and Related Matters

Choi Seo-yoon, a member of the Gwangju City Council in Gyeonggi Province (People Power Party, Opo 1-dong, Opo 2-dong, Neungpyeong-dong, Sinhyeon-dong), continued to raise questions about traffic issues on Saemal-gil of Provincial Road No. 21 during the 2nd plenary session of the 2nd regular meeting of the 313th Gwangju City Council on the 2nd.

Sido Line 21 Saemal-gil. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City Council

In the previous 309th regular meeting, Councilor Choi Seo-yoon argued that to improve Gwangju City's traffic safety index, it is necessary to reorganize roads and traffic systems, install sidewalks, and expand traffic safety facilities. This time, she drew attention by thoroughly analyzing the safety issues of Saemal-gil on Provincial Road No. 21 and presenting alternatives in her questions to the city administration.

She also presented statistical data from the Korea Road Traffic Authority's traffic accident analysis system, pointing out that the number of traffic accidents in Gwangju City is higher than the Gyeonggi Province average, and pedestrian fatalities are frequent among fatal accidents, emphasizing that pedestrian safety is the most urgent issue.

According to Councilor Choi Seo-yoon, the number of traffic accidents and fatalities (pedestrian fatalities) were 1,930 accidents/26 deaths (9 pedestrian deaths) in 2020, 2,265 accidents/17 deaths (9 pedestrian deaths) in 2021, 2,178 accidents/12 deaths (5 pedestrian deaths) in 2022, and 2,129 accidents/18 deaths (5 pedestrian deaths) in 2023. She stated that big data analysis shows that Gwangju City frequently experiences fatal accidents on provincial and national roads, with a high proportion of pedestrian fatalities among them.

Councilor Choi said, “In Gwangju City, the boundary between roads and sidewalks is unclear, and there are many discontinuities in pedestrian paths.” She added, “Especially on Saemal-gil of Provincial Road No. 21 in Sinhyeon-dong, many sidewalks have no elevation difference from the road, and there are parking lots in front of buildings, forcing pedestrians to cross over sidewalks to enter parking areas, which is an inherent problem posing a risk of traffic accidents.” She proposed the following measures: installation of guardrails for pedestrian protection, installation of curbs and bollards, immediate relocation of traffic obstacles (such as utility poles), underground wiring, installation of safety marking bands on utility poles, reinstallation of speed bumps, installation of speed limit and signal violation monitoring cameras in cooperation with the Gwangju Police Station, securing bus bays through the culvert covering project at Sinhyeon-dong 1176-1, formation of a consultative body (TF team) among experts, officials, and citizens to identify traffic problems and devise countermeasures, and strengthening crackdowns on illegal parking, speeding, signal violations, and drunk driving.

In particular, Councilor Choi Seo-yoon emphasized that the proportion of drunk driving accidents among all traffic accidents in Gwangju City is very high, stating, “Many golf players drive after drinking at Gangnam300 Golf Course, so enforcement must be strengthened.”

She asked, “How long will we just watch?” and stressed, “We must first resolve inconveniences directly related to daily life, school routes for children, and high-risk traffic accident areas, while systematically and efficiently expanding the traffic network.”