Gwangju City Expands Installation of Barrier-Free Bus Stops

Selected for Ministry of the Interior and Safety Sponsored Contest... Secured 200 Million KRW in Special Local Tax

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Barrier-free bus stops will be expanded in the Gwangju area.

Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 7th that the "Barrier-Free Bus Stop Creation Project for the Convenience of Transportation Vulnerable Groups" was finally selected in the 2021 Local Government Collaboration Special Grant Project hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

As a result, Gwangju secured a special grant of 200 million KRW.

The 2021 Local Government Collaboration Special Grant Support Project involved a total of 36 projects, including 19 metropolitan local governments and 17 basic local governments.

After the first round of document screening, a second round of public voting was held from the 10th to the 23rd of last month at Gwanghwamun 1st Street for 12 projects, followed by expert and public evaluations, resulting in the final selection of 8 projects.

The barrier-free bus stop creation project is designed to ensure that not only the transportation vulnerable groups such as the disabled, elderly, pregnant women, and children but also everyone can use buses without inconvenience.

The project includes repairing uneven and bumpy sidewalk blocks, reinforcing braille blocks, installing wheelchair waiting seats, and marking boarding locations for low-floor buses in the design.

In particular, to enhance the efficiency of the project and create user-centered bus stops, the city has established a permanent public-private cooperation system with five autonomous districts, disability organizations, the bus association, and the Gwangju Design Promotion Agency, sharing roles among institutions.

From last year to this year, 11 public-private cooperation meetings have been held to share know-how on facility installation and operation.

The newly secured 200 million KRW will be used to install 10 additional barrier-free bus stops and repair sidewalk blocks.

Since 2017, the city has been promoting the barrier-free bus stop creation project and has installed a total of 98 locations by last year. This year, including the 10 locations created using the special grant of 200 million KRW, a total of 20 new sites will be established.

Son Dooyoung, head of the city's public transportation division, said, "With the special grant secured, we will create 10 additional barrier-free bus stops," adding, "We will continue to improve accessibility and safety so that transportation vulnerable groups can easily use bus stops."

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