"Threat to Pedestrian Rights of Transportation-Disadvantaged" Criticism... Kim Byeongnae, Mayor of Nam-gu, Gwangju, Says "Budget Shortage"

Cheon Sin-ae, District Council Member (Democratic Party of Korea·Proportional Representation). / Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City Nam-gu Council Provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Gwangju Metropolitan City Nam-gu has been criticized for showing a lukewarm attitude toward establishing safe walking rights for transportation-vulnerable groups.

On the 8th, the Nam-gu Council held the 2nd plenary session of the 279th extraordinary meeting in the main conference hall to conduct district administration questions.

Councilor Cheon Sin-ae (Democratic Party·Proportional Representation) criticized Nam-gu Mayor Kim Byung-nae, saying, "There are many places where tactile paving for the visually impaired is either completely absent on sidewalks or not installed according to guidelines."

According to the Enforcement Rules of the Act on the Promotion of Convenience for Transportation-Vulnerable Persons, dot-type blocks must be installed at the entrance of crosswalks, and linear blocks guiding to them must be installed in the same direction as the crosswalk's direction.

However, there are many violations, such as linear blocks that should face the crosswalk pointing toward the middle of the intersection.

Since visually impaired people recognize their surroundings by touch, the risk of safety accidents is high, so related authorities need to examine this carefully.

Councilor Cheon mentioned, "During last year's administrative audit, tactile paving was not constructed according to guidelines in the sidewalk construction in front of Baegun Square Yangwoo Naeanae, so it had to be reconstructed."

She continued, "The sidewalk construction at Ssangyong Intersection in Bongseon-dong, a resident participation budget project, was also not carried out according to guidelines, and in the sidewalk maintenance work at Samik Intersection in Bongseon-dong, tactile paving was reconstructed, resulting in budget waste."

Councilor Cheon urged, "We must prevent such incidents from recurring," and asked, "I hope Nam-gu makes great efforts to guarantee walking rights that everyone should equally enjoy and to improve the quality of life for transportation-vulnerable groups."

In response, Mayor Kim said, "Last year, through the survey project on road facilities for transportation-vulnerable persons, we identified tactile paving on sidewalks that did not comply with guidelines," but added, "Due to financial circumstances, it is difficult to invest a large budget at once to renovate them."

He promised, "When installing new sidewalk blocks within apartment complexes, we will reflect related guidelines as a condition for approval during the permitting process."

Furthermore, he expressed his determination to improve the walking environment by stating, "We will ensure that the safe walking rights of transportation-vulnerable groups are reflected when establishing Nam-gu's 4th Basic Traffic Safety Plan."

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