"Encouraging Voluntary Movement of Parked Vehicles"
Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul (District Mayor Choi Hokwon) announced on July 17 that it has become the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts to implement a “Resident Priority Parking Zone Unauthorized Parking SMS Notification Service” starting from July 7.
The “Resident Priority Parking Zone” is a system that designates parking spaces on residential side streets and provides them to residents for a certain fee. Currently, there are a total of 4,410 such spaces in operation in Yeongdeungpo District.
Residents and visitors often use these empty resident priority parking zones for short-term parking when visiting nearby places such as convenience stores or pharmacies, due to the lack of available parking spaces. Previously, unauthorized parking was immediately subject to enforcement and a fee. However, starting this year, a “pre-notification system” has been implemented, in which a warning notice is attached to the vehicle 10 minutes before enforcement.
With the introduction of this system, the average monthly number of unauthorized parking enforcement cases decreased by about 41%, from 2,464 cases last year to 1,442 cases per month in the first half of this year. This has allowed visitors to park for short periods, and it is analyzed that both the inconvenience and burden on residents have been alleviated.
The SMS notification service newly introduced by Yeongdeungpo District is an advanced version of the pre-notification system. When the enforcement team discovers an unauthorized parked vehicle, a real-time SMS is sent to the vehicle owner, notifying them that a fee will be imposed in 10 minutes. This gives drivers an easy opportunity to move their vehicles and helps prevent unnecessary enforcement.
The SMS notification service can be applied for by only one person per vehicle through the Yeongdeungpo District Facilities Management Corporation website. However, vehicles subject to enforcement due to civil complaints or habitual unauthorized parking (three or more times) will be enforced immediately without prior SMS notification.
District Mayor Choi Hokwon stated, “We hope to minimize inconvenience for residents and ensure the efficient operation of resident priority parking spaces,” adding, “Going forward, instead of immediate enforcement, we will provide advance notice and guidance to give drivers the opportunity to move their vehicles, thereby establishing an advanced parking culture.”
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