Extended Enforcement Hours for 'Gyeongbu Expressway Bus-Only Lane' During Lunar New Year Holiday... '7 AM to 1 AM Next Day'

Seoul City Intensifies Enforcement During Lunar New Year on Gyeongbu Expressway with Extended Operation of Speed Cameras
Fines of 50,000 to 60,000 KRW Imposed for Camera and Citizen-Reported Violations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it will extend the enforcement hours of the bus-only lanes on the Gyeongbu Expressway under Seoul’s jurisdiction from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. during the Lunar New Year holiday period to ensure smooth bus traffic and alleviate congestion.

Normally, the bus-only lanes on the Gyeongbu Expressway under Seoul’s jurisdiction, between the south end of Hannam Bridge, Banpo IC, and Yangjae IC in both directions, operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, during the Lunar New Year holiday period, from the day before the holiday starts on the 10th until the day after the holiday on the 15th, the operation hours will be extended from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. the following day.

Violations of the bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway will result in fines, which can be imposed multiple times depending on the number of violations caught by enforcement cameras, so drivers need to be cautious. According to the Road Traffic Act, vehicles allowed to use the expressway bus-only lanes are those with nine or more seats, and only when there are six or more actual passengers onboard. The fines for violations are 50,000 KRW for passenger cars and 60,000 KRW for vans, and fines can be imposed repeatedly based on the number of violations detected by enforcement cameras.

Among the cases caught by enforcement, many involve confusion about the operating hours of different types of bus-only lanes, as well as situations where drivers accidentally enter the lane but cannot exit due to traffic congestion or difficulty changing lanes, resulting in enforcement. There are frequent cases where drivers briefly enter the bus-only lane but cannot exit due to traffic jams, leading to multiple fines. The Gyeongbu Expressway bus-only lanes have enforcement cameras installed at each section, and fines are imposed regardless of the number of violations, so drivers must exercise special caution.

Oh Jong-beom, Director of the Traffic Guidance Division of Seoul City, said, “For the bus-only lanes to achieve their intended purpose, drivers’ compliance awareness is essential,” and added, “We ask drivers to be especially careful to avoid repeated enforcement due to simple mistakes such as confusion about the operation sections or lane misidentification.”

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