Seoul Bicycle Road Safety, Citizens Directly Inspect and Promote

Seoul City Appoints and Launches 'Bicycle Safety Guardians'... Establishing Public-Private Governance System

On April 8, 2018, to commemorate the opening of the Jongno bicycle-only lane, about 2,000 citizens are participating in a bicycle parade. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Bicycle organizations based in Seoul are launching the 'Bicycle Safety Guardians,' a group that inspects road conditions throughout the city and conducts safety culture campaigns to create a better cycling environment.

On the 24th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will hold a promotional campaign for the 'Bicycle Safety Guardians' in front of the Peace Gate at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu. The first event, involving seven private bicycle organizations from various Seoul districts including Songpa-gu, Gangdong-gu, and Yangcheon-gu, will start at the Peace Gate of Olympic Park and proceed to inspect bicycle paths along Seongnaecheon Stream, the northern end of Mapo Bridge, and other regional bicycle roads.

These Bicycle Safety Guardians are characterized by their innovative operation as a citizen-participation model, moving away from the traditional government-led approach. Instead of a uniform method, citizens directly inspect bicycle roads, and road repairs and safety equipment installations are promptly carried out.

Additionally, they continuously monitor the condition of bicycle paths and convenience facilities, report damaged infrastructure through the 'Seoul Smart Inconvenience Report' app, promote safe bicycle use by preventing threatening behaviors and illegal parking, and carefully check bicycle racks and parking lots, which are prone to blind spots, to enhance user convenience.

The city plans to establish a governance system of public-private cooperation by linking the Bicycle Safety Guardians' field inspection results to policy proposals, thereby driving changes in bicycle policies. To this end, participating organizations will be awarded appointment certificates as Bicycle Safety Guardians, and participants will receive recognition for volunteer hours.

In addition, starting in June, the city will recruit 'Seoul Bicycle Mates' to promptly reflect bicycle-related inconveniences experienced on-site and deliver vivid reports from the field, helping the public easily relate to bicycle policies as an eco-friendly mode of transportation.

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, said, "The Bicycle Safety Guardians, as a representative case of public-private governance, will play a role in advancing Seoul as a leading bicycle city. We will continue to actively hold various campaigns to expand bicycle paths and promote a culture of bicycle safety so that cycling can be further activated as an eco-friendly transportation method."

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