Signal Optimization Increases Traffic Speed by Up to 35%... Seoul Police Improve 'Chronic Congestion Zones'

Stage 1: Average Queue Length Reduced by 29% at 12 Locations
Stage 2: 69 Locations Improved by Grouping 3-4 Intersections

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As a result of improvement projects conducted on major traffic congestion sections in Seoul, travel speeds have increased by up to 35%.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 28th that it is carrying out improvement work on 81 locations with severe traffic congestion causing significant inconvenience to citizens.

First, from the 30th of last month to the 14th of this month, as the first phase, the police subdivided signal operation times by time and direction according to traffic volume at 12 locations including Nokcheon Bridge Intersection in Dobong-gu, and optimized signal timings. Through this, the average travel speed increased by 16.8%, and the average vehicle waiting length decreased by 29.0%.

Improvement results of Nokcheon Bridge. [Data provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

In particular, at Nokcheon Bridge Intersection in Dobong-gu, where traffic congestion worsened after the expansion of Dongbu Expressway at the end of last year, the signal for the Seongsu entry direction with heavy traffic was prioritized and signal time was extended, resulting in an average travel speed during commuting hours increasing from 8.6 km/h to 11.6 km/h, a 34.9% improvement. Additionally, the vehicle waiting length was reduced from 300m to 105m, a 65% decrease, making it the location with the greatest improvement effect.

Furthermore, at Gaebong Intersection in Gaebong-dong, Guro-gu, near the boundary with Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province, where daytime traffic congestion occurs continuously, signal timing improvements led to an average travel speed increase of 26.5% and a 60.0% reduction in waiting length.

The second phase of improvements being promoted by the police expands the scope from improving individual intersections to selecting certain sections by grouping 3 to 4 adjacent intersections and optimizing signal cycles according to traffic volume. Currently, improvement projects are underway at 18 sections and 69 intersections including Sejong-daero in Jung-gu, Nambusunhwan-ro in Gwanak-gu, and Cheonho-daero in Gangdong-gu, with completion expected by the end of this month followed by effect analysis.

Sejong-daero Improvement Plan. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

Among these, the Sejong-daero section from Deoksugung to Sungnyemun, a habitual congestion area, experiences continuous queueing at intersections and has a high risk of traffic accidents, so measures such as extending signal times in the congestion direction and synchronizing signals at consecutive intersections will be implemented.

Choi Kwan-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated, "We will continue to identify sections and points where traffic congestion frequently occurs and make additional improvements to reduce inconvenience to citizens caused by traffic congestion."

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