The Streets Are Not Parking Lots... "Nowhere to Park" as Motorcycles Overflow with No Place to Go

Complaints About Abandoned Motorcycles Reach 11,280 in the First Quarter
Difficulties in Crackdowns on Illegal Parking and Lack of Parking Spaces

On June 1st, in front of a building in Hwanghakdong, Junggu, Seoul, two motorcycles were parked on the sidewalk, despite a note on the building wall stating 'No Motorcycle Parking.' Not only at this location, but throughout the Hwanghakdong area, illegally parked motorcycles could be seen everywhere. Motorcycles were found in bicycle racks, parked in the middle of the street, temporarily stopped for deliveries, and some were covered in dust, making it impossible to tell when they had been parked.

On the 1st, a motorcycle is parked in front of a building with a 'No Motorcycle Parking' sign in Hwanghakdong, Junggu, Seoul. Photo by Park Seungwook

The inconvenience caused to citizens by illegally parked motorcycles on the streets is increasing. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on June 2nd, the number of complaints related to abandoned two-wheeled vehicles submitted to the online Safety Report Center was 7,418 in the first quarter of 2023, 8,106 last year, and 11,280 this year, showing an increase every year.

Lee Sunyoung, a 25-year-old university student met near Jungang Market in Sindang-dong, Junggu, Seoul, said, "When there are a lot of people, such as during commuting hours, it feels suffocating if motorcycles also take up space on the road," and added, "I understand that delivery workers may have to park their motorcycles briefly, but if they are parked right on the road, I worry about bumping into them for no reason."

Currently, there is no effective way to prevent this kind of motorcycle parking. This is because under the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act, there are no regulations for imposing fines for illegal parking or stopping of two-wheeled vehicles, and police can only issue penalty tickets if they catch illegal parking on the spot.

Motorcycle riders claim that there is a lack of parking spaces. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as of April this year, there are 2.25 million two-wheeled vehicle users. Choi Sooyoung, 32, a member of a motorcycle club, said, "On days when I don't ride my motorcycle for work, I want to park in a parking lot to protect it from rain or wind, but I am often denied entry because the system can't recognize the rear license plate," and added, "Since there is nowhere to park, I have no choice but to park on the street."

Yoon, a 32-year-old delivery worker, also said, "I travel all over Seoul for deliveries, but since there is no parking space, I park in any empty spot near my home after work," and added, "At a public parking lot that supposedly allows motorcycle parking, they said it was only possible if the management office manually records my entry because the license plate recognition system doesn't work. Since I often get off work at dawn due to the nature of my job, it's difficult to ask for access every time."

On the 1st, various household items including bowls are placed in a motorcycle-only parking space set up in the furniture street of Sindang Central Market, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Park Seungwook

Under the Parking Lot Act, parking lot managers cannot refuse entry to two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles, but in many cases, they block motorcycle access due to management inconveniences such as license plate recognition issues. At one public parking lot in Seoul visited by the reporter, motorcycles were not allowed to enter. The reason given was that, due to the license plate being mounted on the rear of the motorcycle, it is difficult to recognize at the entrance barrier, and since most parking lots are unmanned, there is no staff available to manage motorcycle entry.

Even motorcycle-only parking spaces, which can occasionally be seen, are often not properly managed. In the motorcycle-only parking spaces near the furniture street in Sindang-dong, Junggu, various household items such as bowls were placed, or chairs with 'No Parking' signs were set up.

Kim Jinyu, a professor of Urban and Transportation Engineering at Kyonggi University, said, "The number of motorcycle-only parking lots themselves needs to be increased," and added, "In Japan, not only for regular cars but also for motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles, parking spaces are well provided, but in Korea, efforts to diversify parking facilities are lacking."