Gwangju City to Develop "Pedestrian Priority Roads"

Back Road Behind Chonnam National University College of Business Administration in Buk-gu and Bongseon Market Road in Nam-gu
Secured 230 Million KRW in Disaster and Safety Special Grant from Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

On May 1, Gwangju City announced that it has been selected for the "Pedestrian Priority Road Special Grant Project" organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. As a result, two areas?the road behind the College of Business Administration at Chonnam National University and the area around Bongseon Market?will be developed as pedestrian priority roads.

The "Pedestrian Priority Road Development Project" aims to create pedestrian-friendly environments on roads where the width is too narrow to separate sidewalks from vehicle lanes, ensuring that people take precedence over vehicles. The goal is to improve the poor pedestrian conditions on back roads in residential and commercial areas, where installing sidewalks is difficult, and to reduce the risk of traffic accidents.

Through this project, the city will actively promote its "Daejabo City" policy (a city focused on public transportation, bicycles, and walking), which seeks to shift the current car-centered transportation structure to a people-centered one, and plans to further expand pedestrian priority roads.

Gwangju City has secured 230 million KRW in national funding and will develop two locations?the road behind the College of Business Administration at Chonnam National University in Buk-gu and Bongseon Market Road in Nam-gu?as "pedestrian priority roads." The project will incorporate pedestrian-friendly features such as road pavement improvements, installation of safety signs, and speed reduction facilities.

Jung Junho, Director of Traffic Operations, stated, "The 'Daejabo City' that Gwangju aspires to begins with creating a city where pedestrians can walk with peace of mind," and added, "Taking this project as an opportunity, we will continue to expand pedestrian priority roads and accelerate the transition to a people-centered city."

Meanwhile, last year, the city developed Songjeong-ro 1-gil in Gwangsan-gu, the main passageway of 1913 Songjeong Station Market, as a pedestrian priority road.