Seongdong-gu Begins Towing 'Nuisance' Kickboards on Sidewalks Starting This Month

From the 1st, illegal parking and standing of kickboards obstructing pedestrian paths will be reported through the 'Complaint Report Web' and towed... Immediate towing at subway station entrances/exits and crosswalk obstruction zones, other cases towed within 3 hours upon reporting via the 'Complaint Report System' web.

A parking enforcement officer from Seongdong District Office is inspecting the parking status of electric kickboards placed near the subway station.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Wono) will begin towing illegally parked electric kickboards that are indiscriminately left on sidewalks such as subway station entrances and alleys starting this month.

The district signed a four-party agreement with Seoul City, towing companies, and towing storage facilities on the 28th of last month, and after a two-week pilot operation period this month, will officially implement the towing from the 15th.

From this month, five areas with high risk due to traffic obstruction ? subway station entrances, within 10 meters of bus stops and taxi stands, pedestrian crossing obstruction zones, braille blocks, and roads ? will have kickboards towed immediately upon report or discovery. Outside these areas, towing will occur within three hours of the report.

Residents inconvenienced by kickboards can report through the ‘Civil Complaint Reporting System.’ By simply scanning the QR code attached to the device via the web, reports can be made automatically without specifying the company name or location.

So far, there are a total of 14 shared mobility (kickboard) companies across Seoul with about 53,470 devices, but related laws allowing administrative action against abandoned kickboards have been insufficient.

The district has explored various methods to tow illegally parked personal mobility devices and proactively pursued a business agreement for towing based on the ‘Seoul City Ordinance on Towing of Parking Violation Vehicles,’ which was promulgated in May and includes provisions for electric kickboard towing.

Upon reporting, the relevant kickboard company is immediately notified, and if the kickboard is not removed within the three-hour grace period, it will be towed with a towing fee of 40,000 KRW charged to the company. This is expected to accelerate the crackdown on unauthorized kickboard abandonment, which had been difficult due to the lack of legal standards and systems.

Jeong Wono, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “As Seoul City revised the ordinance and began implementing the system, the district promptly resolved issues related to storage facilities and budget, laying the foundation to proceed with this towing measure. We will do our best to prevent damages caused by kickboard abandonment that threatens pedestrian safety on the streets.”

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