With Just One Bicycle, You Can Go Anywhere in Yangcheon-gu...

Making a "Bicycle-Friendly City" through Public Bicycle Facility Development, Old Bicycle Road Pavement Maintenance, and Curb Lowering for Environmental Improvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] "With just one bicycle, you can go anywhere..."

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is carrying out various projects aimed at creating an "Eco-friendly Yangcheon, a city good for cycling," one of the six major visions of the 7th local government administration.

In particular, bicycles have recently emerged as a transportation mode suited for the contactless era due to COVID-19, accelerating efforts to build a convenient and safe bicycle-friendly city.

First, with the introduction of Seoul's public bicycle system "Ddareungi" starting in 2015, there was a need to establish related facilities. Yangcheon-gu actively requested Seoul City to install more stations, and as a result, the number of Ddareungi rental stations increased from 55 in 2019 to a total of 81 locations. The district operates about 1,000 Ddareungi bicycles, recording a cumulative rental of 356,843 trips, a 28% increase compared to the previous year.

The district continuously expands the service areas and builds infrastructure by identifying regions with high potential demand from users.

Additionally, to create a safe and pleasant bicycle road environment, the district has maintained bicycle roads. Over the past three years, Yangcheon-gu invested 1.958 billion KRW to maintain 9.1 km of bicycle roads, which accounts for about 18% of the total 49.2 km bicycle road length.

In particular, the district refurbished aging bicycle road pavements that have been in use for over 10 years, improving facilities such as adjusting road widths and lowering curbs to prevent accidents in advance.

According to data from the Yangcheon Police Station Traffic Investigation Division, bicycle traffic accidents in the area recorded 200 cases in 2016, but since 2017, the number has decreased to between 120 and 140 cases annually.

In 2020, the district completed maintenance of a 0.57 km bicycle road on Sinjeong-ro 7-gil in Sinjeong 3-dong, with plans to maintain bicycle roads on Mokdongdong-ro, Seo-ro, and Sinwol-ro as well.

Also noteworthy is the "Yangcheon Bike Lounge," which transformed the second floor of the bicycle parking lot at Sinmokdong Station on Line 9 into a bicycle culture facility along the Anyangcheon Stream. In 2019, the district remodeled the second floor of the bicycle parking lot at Exit 3 of Sinmokdong Station, creating a comfortable resting space for residents using the bicycle parking lot.

Especially, the facility includes bicycles for lower body strength training and a "U-Health Zone" where users can check their health independently, receiving great responses from residents using Anyangcheon and bicycle club members.

Meanwhile, as bicycle use becomes more convenient and the number of cyclists increases, theft incidents have also risen, prompting multifaceted efforts to prevent bicycle theft.

In July, during a security council meeting with Yangcheon Police Station, measures to prevent bicycle theft were discussed. Proposed measures included installing focused lighting and logo projectors around bicycle racks.

Accordingly, focused lighting and logo projectors have been installed at 14 major theft-prone locations, creating an environment where bicycles can be safely parked on racks. This is expected to raise awareness among bicycle users and help prevent theft incidents.

According to the revised Road Traffic Act effective from December, personal mobility devices such as electric kickboards will be allowed to operate on bicycle roads. As the market for easily accessible personal mobility devices grows rapidly, related accidents are also expected to increase, necessitating countermeasures.

Yangcheon-gu plans to promote bicycle group insurance enrollment in 2021 to prepare for safety accidents involving bicycle users.

In addition, Yangcheon-gu continuously builds related infrastructure by analyzing bicycle users' usage patterns and improving inconveniences to create a city good for cycling.

The district is adjusting the quantity and locations of bicycle racks, replacing old racks, installing CCTV to prevent bicycle theft, and adding more public bicycles, among other projects.

A district official stated, "Reflecting the characteristics of our district with many bicycle users, we are making every effort to create an environment where residents can use bicycles conveniently and safely anywhere in Yangcheon-gu."

Mayor Kim Soo-young of Yangcheon-gu said, "Since COVID-19, the demand for bicycle use has increased nationwide. Bicycles have rapidly emerged as a transportation mode favored in the contactless era. Furthermore, bicycles are increasingly important as an eco-friendly transportation mode aligned with the government's 'Green New Deal' policy. We will continue to expand related infrastructure so that residents can travel conveniently and safely anywhere in Yangcheon-gu with just one bicycle, and we will also promote education on bicycle safety awareness," expressing his determination to build a bicycle-friendly city.

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