206 Billion Won Invested in Installing Traffic Enforcement Equipment and Traffic Lights in 'Eorini Bohoguyeok' (Children Protection Zones)

Government Joint Plan to Implement 'Safe School Commute Environment Creation'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The government and local governments are strengthening safety facilities within school zones and strictly managing parking and stopping violations to create a safe commuting environment for children.

The government finalized and announced on the 24th the 2020 implementation plan for the 'Traffic Safety Enhancement Measures in School Zones' announced last January.

First, to complete the installation of unmanned traffic enforcement equipment and traffic lights in school zones nationwide by 2022, a total of 206 billion KRW will be invested this year to install 2,087 unmanned traffic enforcement devices and 2,146 traffic lights. Of this, 14.9 billion KRW will be funded and supported by the Ministry of Education for the first time in cooperation with metropolitan and provincial offices of education.

The National Police Agency has established detailed standards to prioritize the installation of unmanned enforcement equipment in school zones by comprehensively considering past traffic accident types and road conditions, and amended related laws to mandate the installation of necessary facilities and equipment for children's safety.

The government will also develop standard models for school zone improvements such as yellow carpets (children's crosswalk waiting areas) and yellow footprints to help drivers easily recognize children in school zones. A pilot project will be conducted targeting 100 elementary schools located in areas with frequent traffic accidents, with a goal to expand to a total of 1,000 schools by 2022.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education will promote a pedestrian path securing project targeting 4,368 schools (336 kindergartens, 1,901 elementary schools, 1,220 middle schools, etc.) exposed to traffic accident risks due to lack of pedestrian paths on commuting routes by 2022. This year, the project will first be implemented for kindergartens and elementary schools urgently needing separation between sidewalks and roadways, while outside schools, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments will closely cooperate with education offices to continue the pedestrian path installation project around schools initiated in 2018.

Measures to eradicate practices that undermine safety within school zones will also be implemented. To prevent traffic accidents caused by obstructed visibility due to illegal parking and stopping, all 281 illegal roadside parking lots on roads directly connected to main entrances of schools and kindergartens will be abolished, and from June, school zones will be added to the illegal parking and stopping resident reporting system using the Safety Newspaper.

Furthermore, the Road Traffic Act enforcement decree will be revised in the second half of the year to increase fines and penalties for parking and stopping violations in school zones from twice to three times (120,000 KRW) compared to general roads.

Time-based vehicle traffic restrictions will also be actively introduced to ensure children can commute safely. Starting with five metropolitan cities including Seoul, Busan, and Incheon in the first half of the year, the system will be expanded nationwide in the second half.

After a nationwide survey of safety facilities in school zones in the first half, a mid- to long-term plan for safety facility improvements will be prepared in the second half.

In addition, the National Police Agency and related organizations will conduct joint inspections of children's school bus operation facilities, and the Ministry of Education plans to promote early replacement of aged school buses over 11 years old to do its best to prevent school bus accidents.

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