Introduction of 'Pedestrian Priority Roads' for Safe Walking

Promulgation of Amendments to the "Act on Pedestrian Safety and Convenience Enhancement" and the "Road Traffic Act"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency announced on the 10th that the "Act on Pedestrian Safety and Convenience Improvement," which introduces pedestrian-priority roads, and the amendment to the Road Traffic Act will be promulgated on the 11th.

A pedestrian-priority road is a road where sidewalks and roadways are not separated, designated to prioritize pedestrian traffic over vehicle traffic to ensure pedestrian safety and convenience. Through this amendment, the Pedestrian Safety Act will establish the legal basis for the designation, creation, and management of pedestrian-priority roads, and the Road Traffic Act will stipulate the priority right of way for pedestrians.

Over the past decade, the number of traffic accident fatalities in South Korea has decreased from 5,229 in 2011 to 3,081 in 2020. However, pedestrians account for about 40% of all traffic accident fatalities, the highest proportion, making pedestrian safety an urgent issue.

In this context, the introduction of pedestrian-priority roads is expected to establish a traffic paradigm centered on people rather than vehicles and contribute to securing pedestrian safety. On roads designated as pedestrian-priority roads, pedestrians can walk across the entire road without avoiding vehicles, and vehicles are obligated to exercise caution such as driving slowly and stopping temporarily, with a speed limit of 20 km/h imposed if necessary, allowing pedestrians to walk safely.

In particular, pedestrian-priority roads can effectively protect pedestrians in narrow commercial areas, residential neighborhoods, and school routes where pedestrians previously felt endangered by vehicle traffic. Additionally, an analysis of six pilot pedestrian-priority road projects conducted jointly by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments in 2019 confirmed that residents' satisfaction regarding safety, convenience, and comfort of the walking environment improved compared to before the projects.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to produce and distribute a work manual for the designation and creation of pedestrian-priority roads before the revised law takes effect and will consult with related ministries to establish facility standards for pedestrian-priority roads. Furthermore, it plans to actively cooperate with local governments to ensure the nationwide expansion of pedestrian-priority roads.

Lee Yong-cheol, Director of the Safety Policy Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, “The introduction of pedestrian-priority roads is an important opportunity to promote policies centered on pedestrians by granting pedestrians the right of way in spaces shared with vehicles,” adding, “We will continue to improve systems for pedestrian safety, such as the establishment and activation of pedestrian-priority roads.”

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