"Zero Safety Blind Spots" Seoul City Promotes 'Comprehensive Management Measures for Child Protection Zones'

345 Additional Speeding and Illegal Parking Enforcement Cameras Installed, Totaling 2,388 by Year-End
Focused Safety Blind Spot Maintenance at Children's Eye Level... Active Use of Smart Equipment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] To mark the 3rd anniversary of the implementation of the Min-sik Act, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced the "Seoul Comprehensive Management Plan for Child Protection Zones" aimed at creating "flawless child protection zones without safety blind spots." The city will continue to operate the speeding and illegal parking enforcement systems prepared over the past two years and will actively improve crosswalks and side roads where child protection is needed, thereby creating a safe traffic environment for children.

According to Seoul City on the 23rd, this comprehensive management plan will be promoted through three main tasks: ▲ a traffic system free of speeding and illegal parking ▲ child protection zones without safety blind spots ▲ meticulous on-site safety management.

First, the traffic violation enforcement cameras, which have been actively installed across 1,735 child protection zones throughout the city since the Min-sik Act, will continue to be expanded this year to prevent speeding and illegal parking in child protection zones. Seoul plans to add 300 more speed enforcement cameras, bringing the total to 1,384 by the end of the year. Up to last year, a total of 1,084 cameras were installed, including 875 at 605 elementary schools. This year, an additional 300 cameras will be installed in locations with accident risks or where parents have requested installation, in consultation with the police, education office, and others.

Additionally, 45 more illegal parking enforcement cameras will be added, totaling 1,004 by year-end. Following the installation of 959 cameras last year, 45 more will be placed at habitual illegal parking spots. Local districts will conduct 24-hour monitoring, imposing fines starting at 120,000 KRW, which is three times higher than on general roads, for violations.

Starting this year, the city will actively identify safety blind spots at children's eye level to ensure children can commute to and from school with peace of mind. Smart equipment will be expanded at crosswalks, and safety improvements on side roads will be vigorously pursued. A total of 460 smart safety devices will be installed at existing crosswalks. To help children safely use crosswalks, warning announcements will be made in cases of jaywalking, and violations of stop lines by vehicles will be displayed on electronic signboards. To prevent accidents caused by mobile phone use while walking, traffic signals will be installed on the ground waiting areas of crosswalks, and LED markers will be set up.

The city will also replace traffic lights with yellow signals and establish 100 new signalized crosswalks. Since the Min-sik Act, Seoul has been installing yellow-painted traffic lights at newly established signalized crosswalks or at existing ones upon parental request. This year, 20 new non-signalized crosswalks will be equipped with yellow traffic lights, and 80 existing crosswalk traffic lights will be replaced with yellow ones.

Furthermore, to enhance on-site safety management during children's commutes, tailored measures such as "expanding illegal parking enforcement and child drop-off/pick-up zones" and "operating child traffic safety instructors" will be implemented. Following the amendment of the Road Traffic Act on October 21 last year, parking or stopping is prohibited throughout all child protection zones nationwide, except for designated child drop-off/pick-up zones where stopping is allowed for up to 5 minutes as designated by the police. Seoul will continue to enforce illegal parking in child protection zones and plans to complete 550 child drop-off/pick-up zones before the start of the school year, with ongoing expansion thereafter to accommodate children who must use vehicles due to long commutes or disabilities.

Seoul City will carry out the planned comprehensive management measures in cooperation with the police, education office, and local districts without delay. Additionally, it will establish a mid- to long-term master plan over the next five years to set the vision and promote the expansion and development of child protection zones in Seoul, aiming for more systematic prevention of safety accidents.

Baek Ho, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, “We will continue to prepare more thorough measures to ensure that child pedestrian safety is the top priority in child protection zones.” He added, “We kindly ask drivers to actively cooperate by adhering to speed limits and parking regulations within child protection zones.”

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