Hongdae Red Road and Banpo Academy District Selected for Time-Limited Operation
Joint Guidance by Local Districts and Police Planned
Expansion to Other Areas to Be Considered After Analyzing Ban Effectiveness
Seoul City will become the first in the nation to ban electric scooter traffic in two locations: "Hongdae Red Road in Mapo-gu" and "Banpo Academy District in Seocho-gu." These areas have seen concentrated public complaints regarding electric scooter traffic. After an initial guidance period, fines and penalty points will be imposed for illegal passage.
On May 12, Seoul City announced that, in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, it will implement two "scooter-free streets" where personal mobility devices such as electric scooters are prohibited, starting from May 16. The ban will be enforced daily from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Seoul City is the first in the nation to ban electric scooter traffic in two locations: "Hongdae Red Road in Mapo-gu" and "Banpo Academy District in Seocho-gu." Photo by Hyunmin Kim
The ban applies to devices defined under Article 2, Clause 19-2 of the Road Traffic Act and Article 2-3 of the Enforcement Rule of the same Act, including: electric scooters, electric two-wheeled self-balancing vehicles, and bicycles that can be powered solely by an electric motor.
This ban is a follow-up measure to a "public perception survey on electric scooters" conducted in October last year with 1,000 Seoul citizens. According to the survey, 79.2% of respondents reported experiencing inconvenience due to others using electric scooters, with 75.0% citing collision risk as the most significant issue. In response, after collecting demand surveys from local districts and undergoing a traffic safety review by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul City designated Hongdae Red Road and Banpo Academy District as scooter-free streets in December last year. After completing related preparations, the ban will be enforced starting May 16.
According to Article 5 of the Road Traffic Act (Obligation to follow signals or instructions) and Article 10 of the Enforcement Rule of the same Act (Notification of prohibition or restriction of passage), safety signs must be installed to publicly announce the ban. Over approximately four months, Seoul City coordinated with relevant agencies regarding the installation of personal mobility device prohibition signs and enforcement plans, and has now completed the installation of traffic safety signs.
This is the first time in the nation that "scooter-free streets" are being implemented. Since there were no previous cases to reference, Seoul City and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency consulted with the Autonomous Police Committee, local districts, local police stations, as well as organizations such as the Model Drivers Association and the Green Mothers Association, to finalize the ban hours and sections for effective operation. As a result, considering the characteristics of Hongdae Red Road and Banpo Academy District and to address concerns about excessive regulation of personal mobility devices, the ban was set from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. To improve visibility of the ban hours and sections, supplementary signs have also been installed.
The ban hours were determined based on big data analysis of peak crowd times (for Hongdae Red Road) and academy operating hours (for Banpo Academy District). For Hongdae Red Road, the ban was limited to sections R1 through R6, excluding residential areas not considered high-traffic zones.
Drivers who violate the personal mobility device ban will face penalties under Article 93 of the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act (Scope of penalized acts and fine amounts) and Article 91 of the Enforcement Rule (Standards for license cancellation/suspension, etc.). On regular roads, violators will be fined 30,000 KRW and receive 15 penalty points. In child protection zones, the fine will be 60,000 KRW with 30 penalty points. However, since these are the first scooter-free streets in the country, there will be a five-month period of public awareness and guidance after implementation to sufficiently inform users.
Additionally, to prevent electric scooters from entering the banned sections, illegally parked or stopped electric scooters within and around these areas will be immediately towed through regular patrols. On roads with separated sidewalks and roadways, electric scooters left unattended on sidewalks or roadways will be treated as illegally parked vehicles under the Road Traffic Act and can be towed upon report. When towed, a fee of 40,000 KRW will be charged, with an additional storage fee of 700 KRW per 30 minutes. Electric scooter users must return the devices to designated personal mobility parking areas or side roads where parking is permitted.
Seoul City plans to analyze the effectiveness of this pilot operation of personal mobility device bans in September and will decide whether to expand the policy to other areas based on the results. Jangkwon Yeo, Director of Transportation at Seoul City, stated, "Through the operation of scooter-free streets, we will do our utmost to create a safe pedestrian environment so that citizens do not feel threatened by electric scooters in crowded areas or child protection zones."
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