Removal of On-Street Parking Lots in Seongdong-gu Child Protection Zones... Why?

Last month, all 281 roadside parking spaces across 45 zones in local child protection areas were completely abolished... Encouraging parking sharing projects, fence removal projects, and completing the project in 2 years through continuous resident consultations

The on-street parking space marked in front of Majang Elementary School has been removed.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) completed the removal of on-street parking markings in all on-street parking lots located within the local school zones (hereinafter referred to as "protected zones") at the end of last month.

The area includes a total of 281 on-street parking spaces across 45 sections within Seongdong-gu’s school zones, which are located around elementary schools, kindergartens, and daycare centers. All parking space markings within these protected zones have been removed.

Following the revision of the Road Traffic Act last year, commonly known as the "Min-sik Act," the district has actively promoted the abolition of on-street parking lots within school zones to reduce the risk of traffic accidents involving children.

First, the district distinguished between illegal and general on-street parking lots within the protected zones and proceeded accordingly.

Illegal on-street parking lots marked without legal grounds were abolished after prior public notification to residents, with a set deadline for removal. Active enforcement and towing measures were implemented for vehicles parked in these areas after the deadline. For general on-street parking lots, the district set annual targets for the number of spaces to be abolished by 2025 and implemented the process in stages.

Considering that most protected zones are located on side streets in residential areas with poor parking conditions, the district focused on resolving the inevitable parking difficulties in residential neighborhoods following the abolition of on-street parking lots.

To improve the parking environment, the district actively promoted the use of large building’s attached parking lots and vacant parking spaces through a parking sharing project, as well as the "Wall Removal" project, which creates parking spaces by demolishing walls, encouraging residents to use these parking facilities.

Despite many practical difficulties caused by the abolition of on-street parking lots, the district continuously persuaded existing resident-priority parking permit holders in the school zones and, through resident consultations, completed the project scheduled for 2025 within two years.

This year, the district completed the installation of yellow carpets and smart crosswalks at all 21 elementary schools in the area. According to the Road Traffic Authority’s traffic accident analysis system, Seongdong-gu has recorded the lowest number of pedestrian traffic accidents among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts over the past three years.

Continuing its efforts to create safe school routes for children, the district plans to promptly complete sequential finishing works such as road paving and road surface markings in the areas where the removal of parking markings has been completed, enhancing the completeness of the project to create accident-free school routes.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “Through the complete abolition of on-street parking lots within school zones, we expect to create safe school routes and improve the walking environment for children. Although there may be some inconvenience in line with the purpose of the law protecting children, we ask for the understanding and cooperation of all residents to create an environment where children can commute to school safely.”

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