Roads Designed for People First... Creation of Pedestrian Priority Roads

Administrative Notice of the Draft Establishment of the "People-Centered Road Design Guidelines"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 18th that it will publicly announce the draft of the 'People-Centered Road Design Guidelines' from the 19th until next month 11th and plans to implement it in April.

This guideline was prepared to create roads that prioritize safety and convenience.

According to the guidelines, urban area roads are designed for vehicles to operate at speeds of 50 km/h or less, and to reduce traffic accidents, traffic calming facilities such as zigzag-shaped roads and plateau-style crosswalks (crosswalks in the form of speed bumps) can be installed.

It was improved to consider boarding, alighting, and transfers of public transportation, and established the basis for installing shade shelters that block sunlight in summer and small roadside parks to provide a pleasant walking environment.

In sections where the volume of personal mobility devices is high and dangerous, separate personal mobility (PM) roads are installed, and physical separation between the roadway and sidewalks is made with curbs, etc.

To ensure the safe operation of personal mobility devices with small wheels, the curb height at road junctions was removed, and the turning radius of curves was adjusted to be larger for smooth turning.

Back streets with many pedestrians are planned as pedestrian-priority roads, designed for speeds of 30 km/h or less, and crosswalk curbs were lowered to create a safer walking environment.

In particular, considering the physical and cognitive abilities of elderly drivers, lane widening is allowed at at-grade intersections, and separated left-turn lanes and colored road guide lines are installed to enhance psychological stability.

Juhyunjong, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "With the establishment of these guidelines, roads providing safer driving and walking environments from traffic accidents are expected," and added, "We will continue to improve related systems so that road safety and convenience are enhanced with a people-centered approach."

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