Eunpyeong-gu Eliminates Pedestrian Crossing Safety Accidents

Contributing to accident prevention by installing ground traffic lights linked with existing signals at crosswalk waiting lines... Planned expansion to busy arterial road intersections and school zones

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) plans to take the lead in proactive administration by promptly responding to the revision of the Road Traffic Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (commonly known as the Min-sik Law) through improvements to pedestrian crossing traffic lights.

According to data released by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, South Korea holds the unfortunate distinction of having the highest pedestrian traffic accident death rate among OECD member countries, with 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people, which is four times the OECD average and is continuously increasing.

Among traffic accidents, 39% of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians occur at crosswalks, with the main causes being inattentiveness such as not looking left and right (due to chatting, smartphone use, phone calls, only looking forward while crossing, and other distractions).

Accordingly, there is an urgent need to install facilities (converged multifunctional auxiliary signal blocks) that enhance visibility at crosswalks to prevent traffic accidents not only for vulnerable road users but for all pedestrians. Recognizing this issue, Eunpyeong-gu has been considering improvement measures and conducting continuous research since early 2018.

Seeking answers on-site and through collaboration with experts, they developed a pedestrian crossing ground traffic light and installed a pilot at the three-way intersection in front of Eunpyeong-gu Office, which garnered active interest from the council and overwhelming support from citizens, leading to plans for expansion.

In the early stages of research, they studied and developed facilities linked to traffic lights at the pedestrian waiting line (bollards + safety bars).

To provide signal recognition information to smartphone users whose gaze is directed downward, they supplemented with ground traffic lights linked to the traffic signals at pedestrian waiting points, and after pilot installation at the three-way intersection at the entrance of Eunpyeong-gu Office, monitoring was completed.

As a result, the phenomenon of citizens stepping into the roadway while waiting for the signal significantly decreased, and despite the downward gaze of smartphone users, rapid recognition of the signal system led to improved compliance with signal times and a marked improvement in crossing behavior.

Additionally, a verbal satisfaction survey conducted with 100 employees and citizens using the crosswalk showed over 99% satisfaction with the installation of ground traffic lights. With increasing requests for additional installations from citizens and the Eunpyeong-gu Council, and active support from the budget department, plans have been made to expand installations to major arterial road intersections and school zones with high population density.

Mayor Kim Mi-kyung stated, “With the recent revision of the Road Traffic Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (commonly known as the Min-sik Law), which mandates the installation of facilities in school zones, ensuring the safety of children and citizens crossing roads is a top priority. We expect that expanding the installation of ground traffic lights throughout Eunpyeong will make a revolutionary contribution to preventing pedestrian safety accidents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.