Seoul Downtown Bicycle Commute Route Opens ... 'Cheonggyecheon-ro Bicycle Road' Groundbreaking in September

Completion of East-West Arterial Network from Downtown to Jungnangcheon and Hangang
Expectations for Bicycle Activation as a Contactless Urban Transportation Mode

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] An 11.88 km round-trip bicycle path that allows uninterrupted riding from Cheonggye Plaza, the starting point of Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, to Gosan Bridge in Dongdaemun-gu (near Yongdu Station on Line 2) will open. The city aims to gradually expand the current 940 km bicycle road network to a total of 1,330 km by 2030, making Seoul a "1-hour bicycle living zone."

Seoul City announced on the 30th that it will begin the 'Cheonggyecheon-ro Bicycle Road' construction project on the 7th of next month, complete it by April next year, and officially open it.

The first project target area is the 5.94 km straight section of Cheonggyecheon-ro from Cheonggye Plaza to Gosan Bridge. A total of 11.88 km of urban circular exclusive bicycle roads (CRT·Cycle Rapid Transportation) will be created on both sides (south and north) of Cheonggyecheon, forming a loop.

Once the bicycle road is established, the main bicycle road network will be completed, connecting eastward along Cheonggyecheon and Jungnangcheon to the Han River as well as the southeastern and northeastern regions, and westward from Gwanghwamun along Sejong-daero and Hangang-daero to the Han River. Additionally, accessibility to the Han River bicycle road, Seoul Forest, Ttukseom Resort, and Olympic Park will improve, which is expected to increase satisfaction among citizens using bicycles.

The Cheonggyecheon-ro bicycle road particularly focuses on creating a space exclusively for bicycles that is completely separated from the roadway without altering the existing vehicle lanes. This measure ensures that bicycle users can safely travel along Cheonggyecheon-ro, and merchants around Cheonggyecheon are not disturbed in their existing business spaces.

The section of the bicycle-priority road (south side from Cheonggye 2-ga to Cheonggye 7-ga, etc.), which has been practically ineffective as a bicycle path, will be converted into an exclusive bicycle road by securing space through methods such as relocating street trees that block safe passage, while maintaining the width of the vehicle lanes.

The city plans to carry out construction during nighttime hours (10 PM to 6 AM) when vehicle traffic is low and minimize citizen inconvenience and traffic congestion by splitting construction periods by section, considering the situation of each section and seasonal conditions such as Chuseok. In particular, the section from Cheonggye 7-ga to Gosan Bridge will be prioritized, the section from Cheonggye 2-ga to 7-ga, which is densely populated with shops, will begin construction after Chuseok to accommodate merchants' business activities during the peak season, and the area near Cheonggye Plaza will be constructed last.

The city will also install guide banners and other signage to inform citizens in advance about the construction schedule and provide information on traffic control zones through banners and signs to prevent confusion among drivers.

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, expressed, "The Cheonggyecheon-ro bicycle road is meaningful as an eco-friendly transportation infrastructure for bicycles to establish themselves as a daily transportation mode such as commuting. Furthermore, it is expected to contribute to revitalizing the downtown commercial district in connection with future bicycle tourism."

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