Institutional Support Needed for Electric Vehicle Charging Facility Installation to Assist Disabled and Other Transportation-Vulnerable Groups

Seoul District Mayors Association Holds 167th Regular Meeting on 28th to Discuss Current Issues Including 'Improvement of Selection Method for Securing Seoul Parking Lot Supply Survey'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors (Chairman Lee Seong, Mayor of Guro District) held its 167th regular meeting via online video conference from 10 a.m. on the 28th to discuss major joint issues.

Chairman Lee Seong said in his opening remarks, “Since the nationwide reduction of private gathering limits to 4 people and the restriction of business hours to 9 p.m., the spread of COVID-19 has noticeably decreased,” adding, “Because the damage to self-employed and small business owners continues, we must work closely with Seoul City to ensure thorough quarantine measures so that stability can be restored as soon as possible.”

At the joint meeting between Seoul City and autonomous districts held that day, four agenda items were reviewed: ▲ Proposal to extend the city’s financial support period for long-unexecuted district road projects (Mapo District) ▲ Proposal to establish standards for electric vehicle charging facilities considerate of transportation-vulnerable groups (Songpa District) ▲ Proposal to improve the promotion of housing redevelopment projects (Seongbuk District) ▲ Proposal to improve the calculation method for the parking lot supply rate in Seoul’s parking lot supply and demand survey (Gangseo District).

Additionally, two cooperation matters from Seoul City were shared: ▲ Support measures to improve treatment for district personnel dedicated to COVID-19 response (Seoul City Autonomous Administration Division) ▲ Cooperation regarding changes in enforcement authority for electric vehicle charging obstruction (Seoul City Environmental Energy Planning Office).

The key agenda item discussed, “Establishing standards for electric vehicle charging facilities considerate of transportation-vulnerable groups (Songpa District),” proposed the need for institutional support for transportation-vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities by revising related ordinances, as there are currently no installation standards for electric vehicle charging facilities for these groups despite the rapid domestic spread of electric vehicles.

Seoul City stated that it will consult with related organizations such as disability groups and the Ministry of Environment to prepare support measures.

The “Proposal to improve the promotion of housing redevelopment projects (Seongbuk District)” pointed out that the current redevelopment projects for single-family residential areas, promoted through public contests, are implemented with a uniform allocation method without considering the conditions of each district, which hinders balanced development. The proposal called for institutional improvements to revitalize housing supply and selecting redevelopment candidate sites considering the conditions of each district. Seoul City agreed to sufficiently consider district conditions and reflect the results of field survey analyses in future private and public redevelopment contest projects to ensure balanced development.

The “Proposal to improve the calculation method for the parking lot supply rate in Seoul’s parking lot supply and demand survey (Gangseo District)” pointed out that the current parking management system’s “parking lot supply rate,” used as basic data for expanding and managing parking lots, includes apartment complexes, causing discrepancies with the actual parking lot supply rate in residential areas. The proposal suggested distinguishing between multi-family housing and single-family housing according to the characteristics of residential areas and improving the system accordingly. Seoul City accepted this actively, revised the work processing guidelines, and decided to implement the improvement starting next year.

The meeting was attended by 19 district mayors including Chairman Lee Seong (with 6 districts represented by proxies). Seoul City was represented by Deputy Mayor Jo In-dong and heads of related departments. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was unable to attend due to a media interview schedule.

Meanwhile, the 168th regular meeting is scheduled to be held at the end of January 2022.

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