30 Billion KRW Special Disaster Safety Grant to Support 'Safe Bicycle Usage Environment'

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Aims to Reduce Bicycle Traffic Accident Deaths by 50% by 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 10th that it will provide 3 billion KRW in special disaster safety grants to 18 local governments to improve safety in high-risk bicycle road accident areas.

The 18 local governments selected for this project are Yangcheon, Seoul; Yeonje, Busan; Yeonsu, Incheon; Dong-gu, Gwangju; Jung-gu, Daejeon; Goyang, Gyeonggi; Gwangju, Gyeonggi; Cheongju, Chungbuk; Taean, Chungnam; Nonsan, Chungnam; Jeonju, Jeonbuk; Iksan, Jeonbuk; Namwon, Jeonbuk; Suncheon, Jeonnam; Haenam, Jeonnam; Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk; Uiryeong, Gyeongnam; and Jeju City, Jeju.

The Ministry explained that the sites were selected through a comprehensive evaluation of accident occurrence status, traffic volume, and accident reduction effects, conducted by a panel including private experts.

Additionally, these 18 local governments will receive advisory and support services for planning and project implementation in cooperation with traffic safety specialized institutions such as the Road Traffic Authority, Korea Transport Institute, and Daejeon Sejong Research Institute.

This project is linked to the government-wide 'Protecting Citizens' Lives Project,' aiming to reduce bicycle traffic accident fatalities by 50% from 258 in 2016 to 2022. In particular, bicycle accident-prone areas are prioritized for selection to address the causes of accidents on bicycle roads and prevent bicycle traffic accidents in advance.

Since 2016, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has annually supported 10 to 28 local governments selected through public contests with 13 billion KRW for bicycle road safety improvements and safety facility expansion projects, including separation of sidewalks and roadways, installation of bicycle crosswalks, intersection improvements, installation of bicycle-only lanes, improvement of sharp corners, road width expansion, and relocation of obstacles.

Lee Jae-gwan, Director of Local Autonomy and Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "We will work together with local governments to create a safe bicycle usage environment through continuous support for high-risk bicycle road accident areas nationwide."

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