'City Speed Limit 50㎞' First Commuters Say "Safety First" vs "Ineffective"

Driver Criticizes Inefficient Speed
Pedestrians Hope for Establishment of Safety Culture

On the morning of the 18th, the second day since the implementation of the 'Safe Speed 5030' policy to reduce speed limits on roads nationwide, a notice informing about the safe speed is posted at Jonggak Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] "Most people do not keep the speed limit of 50 km/h where there is no enforcement. Since road conditions vary, it is problematic to uniformly limit the speed on all urban roads," said taxi driver Seo Homyeong.

"As my child grows and becomes more active, I am always worried about safety in the alleys. Many cars speed through alleys where illegal parking is common, so speed limits are necessary," said Choi Mihui, who is raising a 5-year-old son.

Since the vehicle speed limit on general urban roads was set to 50 km/h, public reactions have been mixed. While some complain that excessive regulation will cause traffic congestion, others argue that it is essential for pedestrian safety. Drivers who experienced the first commute on the 19th mostly evaluated it as inefficient. Citizen A, who commutes from Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do to Jongno, Seoul, where their company is located, said, "Traffic congestion was already severe due to construction on major roads like Gwanghwamun, and the speed limit seems to have added 10 to 20 minutes. While safety is important, 50 km/h is too low a speed." There are also criticisms that the regulation is ineffective where there are no enforcement cameras and that fines and penalty points are excessive.

With the revised Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules implemented nationwide from the 17th, the vehicle speed limit on general urban roads is set to 50 km/h, and in school zones and residential side streets, it is limited to 30 km/h or less. However, speeds up to 60 km/h are allowed if necessary for traffic flow. For speeding violations, exceeding the limit by up to 20 km/h results in a fine of 30,000 KRW (40,000 KRW for administrative fines), and exceeding by 20 to 40 km/h results in a fine of 60,000 KRW and 15 penalty points (70,000 KRW for administrative fines).

Among pedestrians, especially the elderly, pregnant women, and parents with children, there is much support. Mr. B, in his 70s living in Jongno-gu, said, "Many vehicles did not even keep 60 km/h and made sudden stops or starts at crosswalks, increasing the risk of accidents. I hope this will change driving culture."

The Safe Speed 5030 policy was actually piloted in 2017 in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, and the Four Gates area in Seoul to test its feasibility. According to the Busan Police Agency, after the policy was implemented, the total number of accidents in 2020 was 12,091, an 8.7% decrease compared to 13,250 in 2019. The number of pedestrian fatalities also dropped significantly from 71 in 2019 to 47 in 2020, a 33.8% reduction. Chungcheongbuk-do also piloted this policy in downtown Cheongju and achieved expected results. During the approximately eight-month pilot period from September last year to now, traffic accidents decreased by 27.5% (131 cases to 95 cases) compared to the same period the previous year, and traffic injuries decreased by 66.7% (18 cases to 6 cases). There were no fatal accidents.

Professor Kim Pilsoo of the Department of Automotive Studies at Daelim University said, "The delay in arrival time caused by urban speed limits was actually about 2 minutes later than the overall average, so there was no significant difference. This policy is necessary for driving culture, which is accustomed to sudden starts, rapid acceleration, and sudden stops."

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