'Stingy' on Citizen Safety but 'Bright' on Building Facelifts... The Current State of Gwangsan-gu

Silent Response to Requests for Facility Installation on Deokheung Bridge Embankment Road

Gwangsan-gu Official: "Reviewing Whether Safety Devices Are Needed in the Section"

On the morning of the 18th, a vehicle passed by a bicycle on the embankment road near Deokheung Bridge in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. Photo by Lee Gwan-woo

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] On the morning of the 18th, near Deokheung Bridge embankment road in Unnam-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. An elderly couple startled by a vehicle approaching from afar quickly moves to the roadside. Just as the vehicle passes them and they take a breath, a truck comes speeding from the opposite direction.

Terrified beyond fear, they curl up even more. Perhaps because of this, the couple, whose faces show fatigue as if the brief moment lasted for hours, feel as if wandering on a roadway while having to use this 500m section of the embankment road without a pedestrian path.

The couple said, “This section has no detour such as a walking path or bicycle road, so we have to use the embankment road,” but added, “We have suggested installing devices like bollards to the district office due to the high risk of safety accidents, but it has remained unchanged for over half a year.”

Pedestrians began using the embankment road after the surrounding public sports facilities were damaged during this summer’s heavy rains.

Originally, there was no pedestrian path in this section, but pedestrians used to avoid the dangerous embankment road by walking on the dirt path around the sports facilities.

Kim (62), who has lived in the area for 35 years, said, “These days, vehicles heading to work in the morning honk at pedestrians, and in severe cases, verbal abuse is exchanged, making dangerous scenes frequently witnessed.”

Given the situation, complaints are rising that Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is not listening to civil complaints directly related to residents’ safety.

Coincidentally, at the time safety concerns were raised, the district office was busy remodeling the government building. They replaced the exterior wall with tile murals and modernized the interior facilities, which caused some residents to misunderstand their priorities.

Park (46), met near Deokheung Bridge, said, “Residents have raised safety concerns about using the Deokheung Bridge embankment road for over half a year, but the district office has remained silent,” adding, “However, when I visited Gwangsan-gu, I felt disappointed seeing the newly renovated facilities.”

He continued, “Who would want to walk on a road where vehicles pass by? Even if the traffic volume is low, if there is even one resident at risk of a safety accident, shouldn’t at least minimal measures be taken?” he expressed his dissatisfaction.

In response, a district official said, “We will inspect the site to review whether safety devices such as bollards are necessary,” and added, “We will try to resolve the lack of pedestrian paths and safety concerns as soon as possible by securing national funding.”

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