From the 21st, No Parking or Stopping in All School Zones... Seoul City Also Promotes Measures to Minimize Inconvenience

Exceptional Operation of 201 ‘Safe Boarding and Alighting Zones’ for Unavoidable Vehicle Use Such as Long-Distance Commuting
Joint Police Crackdown, Expansion of Unmanned Surveillance Cameras, Securing Alternative Sites for On-Street Parking Lots and Their Sequential Closure

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] From the 21st, parking and stopping of vehicles will be completely prohibited on all roads within school zones. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is requesting active cooperation from citizens to ensure safe commuting routes for children and is simultaneously implementing measures to minimize inconvenience to citizens.

According to Seoul City on the 13th, due to the amendment of the Road Traffic Act, parking or stopping is prohibited on all roads within school zones. Therefore, even if there is no yellow solid line on the roadside, parking or stopping in a school zone is illegal and subject to enforcement. Vehicle drivers should carefully check the school zone signs installed on the roads when there are child-use facilities such as elementary schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, academies, special schools, or foreign schools nearby, and from the 21st, must not park or stop in school zones according to the revised law.

Seoul City plans to apply a zero-tolerance policy without exceptions for parking and stopping violations during joint intensive crackdowns by the city, district offices, and police to ensure parking order is quickly established within school zones. Violators will be fined, and immediate towing will be carried out if necessary. Currently, 981 unmanned surveillance cameras operate 24 hours in major sections of the 1,741 school zones, and about 50 or more cameras will be continuously added annually, focusing on high-risk accident areas.

To avoid inconvenience for children who must use vehicles for commuting, an exception will be made to allow brief stopping solely for the purpose of boarding and alighting in the "Safe Boarding and Alighting Zones for School Vehicles in School Zones." However, since this "Safe Boarding and Alighting Zone for School Vehicles" is initially implemented in only 201 of the 1,741 school zones across Seoul, parents, schools, and academy officials need to check in advance whether it is operated at their children's schools.

Additionally, to create a safe walking environment for children, Seoul City, together with 25 autonomous districts, will gradually abolish all on-street parking lots within school zones. At the same time, to prevent inconvenience to nearby residents due to the abolition of on-street parking, support for opening district-operated parking lots will continue.

Baek Ho, Director of Urban Transportation, said, "Although residents or visitors within school zones may experience inconvenience immediately due to this amendment of the Road Traffic Act, it is an opportunity to create a safe, accident-free school zone, so we ask for citizens' understanding and cooperation. Regarding potential parking shortages in densely populated residential areas after the law is enforced, we will fully listen to citizens' opinions and work with district offices and the police to devise the best improvement measures to minimize inconvenience to citizens."

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