‘Gwangsan-gu’ Stingy in Areas with Few Pedestrians... Poor Sidewalk Maintenance and More

Paving Blocks Are Dug Up, Broken, and Accident-Prone Areas

Neither Business Owners nor Local Districts Take Responsibility for Safety

Local District: "Inspections Are Only Conducted Upon Complaint Receipt"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] The sidewalks on Daero in Pyeongdong Industrial Complex, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City are extremely dangerous.

The pedestrian rights are being infringed as the pavement blocks are broken or sunken in many places.

The local district office has shown a response that they only take enforcement action when complaints are raised, not even conducting regular inspections, drawing criticism for being far from proactive administration.

On the morning of the 8th, in front of a gas station in Jangnok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju.

A pedestrian passing by hurriedly stepped back. This was because a large freight truck entering the gas station was moving at a high speed.

Moreover, the truck seemed to have invaded the sidewalk, possibly because the entrance to the gas station was narrow.

The pedestrian, frightened, barely walked 50 meters before moving toward the roadside to escape and tried to calm their startled heart.

The reason why the pavement blocks on the sidewalk right next to the entrance and exit were damaged appeared to be mainly due to frequent sidewalk invasions by vehicles.

There were no bollards to prevent vehicle entry at the entrance and exit, and there were multiple traces that suggested they had been pulled out by someone.

A Mr. A, who frequently uses this area, said, “Every time I pass through this area, I feel chills down my spine,” adding, “Freight trucks enter the gas station maintaining a certain speed without exception, and when standing on the surrounding road, you can even feel the vibrations.”

Despite this situation, the local district office, which holds the authority to permit road occupation and to enforce and manage public roads, has not intervened.

All businesses occupying public roads, not just the gas station, are subject to inspection, but due to reasons such as manpower shortages, the situation is difficult. The district office only gave the absurd answer that they will only visit the site if complaints are filed. This is quite far from proactive administration.

Safety facilities such as bollards must be mandatorily installed at building entrances and exits according to the Road Act revised in 2018, but this gas station was permitted before the revision, so the obligation to install pedestrian safety facilities did not apply.

A Gwangsan-gu official said, “Regular enforcement to secure pedestrian safety is difficult,” and added, “We respond by visiting the site and taking measures only when complaints about facilities that cause inconvenience to traffic or threaten safety are received.”

He continued, “We will review necessary measures to ensure pedestrian safety through an on-site inspection of the gas station.”

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