Busan Goes All-In on Children's Traffic Safety... 11.8 Billion Won Project Budget This Year

Protective Fencing and Illegal Parking Surveillance Cameras
Sidewalk Installation and Expansion of Traffic Safety Facilities

The city of Busan will invest 11.8 billion won this year to strengthen traffic safety for children.

On January 20, the Busan Metropolitan Government, led by Mayor Park Hyungjoon, announced that it will continue to implement policies to enhance traffic safety by investing a total project budget of 11.8 billion won by 2026, with the aim of creating a safe traffic environment for children, who are the future generation.

To prevent traffic accidents and minimize damage within children protection zones, the city will expand traffic safety facilities under its "Comprehensive Safety Measures for Children's School Routes." This year, the city plans to improve a total of 283 locations, including 253 sites for visibility enhancement projects such as the installation of yellow crosswalks and anti-slip pavement, 24 sites for protective fencing, 5 surveillance cameras (CCTV) for illegal parking enforcement, and 1 site for sidewalk installation.

From 2023 to last year, Busan has carried out improvement projects for 744 children protection zones, including 429 visibility enhancement sites, 249 protective fences, 41 CCTV cameras, and 25 sidewalk installations.

The city will also continue to install facilities to prevent speeding and signal violations within children protection zones. This year, 15 unmanned traffic enforcement devices and 25 traffic signals will be installed. Following the 2020 amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which mandated the installation of unmanned traffic enforcement devices in children protection zones, the city has installed a total of 668 unmanned enforcement devices and 512 traffic signals as of last year.

Efforts to improve the environment for children's traffic safety education will also continue. The city will renovate outdated facilities at the Choeup "Dream Tree Traffic Land" and the "Gupo Children's Traffic Park" to create a more pleasant educational environment, and will introduce additional virtual reality (VR) educational equipment at Choeup "Dream Tree Traffic Land." The city also plans to replace the outdoor training area flooring at both educational centers and expand VR equipment to reduce waiting times, allowing more children to participate in hands-on experiences.

Children's traffic safety education is provided through content utilizing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and motion recognition technology, both by visiting kindergartens and elementary schools and through group education at the centers. Approximately 25,000 people participated in these educational programs last year. In addition, "Dream Tree Traffic Land" hosts Children's Day commemorative events and traffic safety quiz competitions, while "Gupo Children's Traffic Park" offers family-oriented traffic classes and bicycle experience classes, helping children naturally learn about traffic safety.

Hwang Hyuncheol, Director of the Office of Traffic Innovation, stated, "Creating an environment where children can grow up healthy is an important responsibility of the city," adding, "Because traffic safety is especially important, the city, police, relevant agencies, and the local community will work together to create a safe traffic environment for children."