Measures to Establish and Promote Orderly Use of Shared Electric Kickboards?

[Seoul District News] Songpa-gu to Hold Public-Private Policy Forum on Shared Electric Kickboards on 28th, Discussing Coexistence and Revitalization Measures Including 'Expansion of Parking Spaces and Infrastructure' and 'Need for Safety Accident Prevention Education'... Jongno-gu Secures Golden Time with 'Emergency Vehicle Automatic Entry and Exit'... Gangdong-gu Launches 'Carbon Neutrality 2050 Promotion Team'... Gangseo-gu Opens 2.3 Billion KRW '2023 Resident Participation Budget Proposal Project'... Dongjak-gu Supports Youth Preparing for Independence with ▲Increase of Independence Settlement Fund by 5 Million KRW ▲Extension of Independence Allowance Payment Period ▲SH Rental Housing Rent...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) held a public-private policy forum on the 28th at the ‘Songpa Saem Head Center’ to establish usage order and promote shared electric kickboards.

The district has been leading policies for an eco-friendly shared PM (Personal Mobility) era, being the first public institution to pilot install electric kickboard parking zones and dedicated racks in October 2020, and creating senior jobs for clearing illegally parked kickboards in February 2022.

The forum was chaired by Shin Hee-cheol, Head of the Global Transportation Cooperation Center at the Korea Transport Institute, under the theme ‘Development of Shared Electric Kickboards and Establishing Win-Win Measures with Songpa-gu.’ Presentations were given by Han Young-jun, Research Fellow at the Seoul Institute, and the Songpa-gu Transportation Administration Team Leader, explaining policy and administrative perspectives and measures to activate shared PM.

Research Fellow Han Young-jun presented on ‘Current Status, Issues, and Policy Suggestions for Personal Mobility,’ emphasizing the need for long-term efforts to expand infrastructure such as parking spaces and to transform urban spaces and structures to be suitable for electric kickboards. Songpa-gu Transportation Administration Team Leader Lee Mi-sook spoke on ‘Policy Measures to Establish Electric Kickboard Usage Order and Coexistence,’ explaining the current status of complaints such as illegal parking and speeding on sidewalks, and the district’s support projects including installation of dedicated racks.

In the subsequent designated discussion, various experts including Choi Young-woo, CEO of PM company ‘Kickgoing,’ and the head of the traffic and facilities team at Songpa Police Station participated, deeply discussing the implementation status of the ‘60-minute towing grace system for electric kickboards’ and the necessity of education to prevent the rapidly increasing electric kickboard safety accidents, as well as public-private win-win measures. About 20 audience members from PM operators, towing companies, and the Songpa Green Mothers’ Association shared their experiences and issues with shared PM use, enriching the forum.

Mayor Park Seong-su said, “Among the opinions gathered at this policy forum, parts requiring institutional improvement will be proposed to related organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Seoul City, and parts that can be implemented immediately will be actively reflected in district policies. Through the activation of green mobility, we will enhance the status of carbon-neutral city Songpa and continue to upgrade the city brand.”

Meanwhile, aiming to create ‘Green Mobility Special District Songpa,’ the district plans to increase electric kickboard parking lots around subway stations from the current 12 to 75 by 2022, and continuously expand various convenience facilities such as establishing ‘PM Nuri Shelter’ linking Songpa Dullegil and major attractions.

Jongno-gu, together with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, has promoted the ‘Emergency Vehicle Automatic Entry and Exit System’ project, proactively upgrading the parking lot barriers at the district office and Jongno-gu Community Center this month.

This is to secure golden time and protect residents’ safety by allowing police cars, fire trucks, and 119 ambulances dispatched to incidents and accidents, where every second counts, to quickly pass through parking lot barriers.

Previously, in February last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revised related regulations (‘Notice on Standards for Vehicle Registration Plates, etc.’) to establish the basis for the project, and from November of the same year, emergency vehicle exclusive license plates starting with 998 or 999 were issued to police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances in each region.

As a result, places equipped with barriers that have the emergency vehicle automatic passage function, including the temporary district office and parking facilities in the area, can pass without waiting time.

The district expects this to help protect the safety of local residents and facility visitors by preventing various accidents that could occur due to failure to secure golden time during fires or crimes.

To participate in the project, facilities must independently equip a three-digit automatic passage recognition system for emergency vehicle exclusive numbers or newly install barriers with this function. Existing barriers can also be upgraded through related companies.

Currently, four large apartment complexes (multi-family housing) in the area have joined the project, and the district plans to continuously promote and encourage participation in the emergency vehicle automatic entry and exit system for multi-family housing, parking lots, and multi-use facilities.

Additionally, the district will distribute certification stickers produced by the district to facilities sharing the intention and continuously monitor whether the barrier operates during actual vehicle dispatch. For related inquiries and more detailed information, contact the Planning and Budget Division.

A district official said, “We hope the emergency vehicle automatic entry and exit system will be introduced throughout the region to contribute to securing residents’ safety. We will continue to promote various projects combining resident safety and smart technology.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) held the launch ceremony of the ‘Gangdong-gu Carbon Neutral 2050 Promotion Team’ on the 28th at the 5th-floor auditorium of Gangdong-gu Office to spread a culture of resource circulation.

The ‘Gangdong-gu Carbon Neutral 2050 Promotion Team’ is a citizen participation group that identifies issues in local recyclable waste separation through weekly road checks, jointly considers improvement measures, and links activities to related policies.

The launch ceremony was attended by about 50 people including Ewha Gangdong Women’s Academy and residents interested in the environment, and included ▲appointment of the promotion team leader ▲presentation of appointment letters ▲education on the role and activities of the promotion team.

The promotion team consists of 40 Gangdong-gu residents interested in the environment and local resource circulation, and plans to carry out activities linked to Gangdong-gu’s Carbon Neutral 2050 and resource circulation policies until November 2022.

They also plan to conduct activities such as promoting correct waste separation and campaigns, monitoring large-scale single-use product businesses, and pre-sorting recyclables at collection points by neighborhood.

Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon of Gangdong-gu said, “The ‘Gangdong-gu Carbon Neutral 2050 Promotion Team’ is a citizen-centered activity to discover and derive improvement measures for local recycling issues together with residents. The district will continue to do its best to lead Gangdong-gu to Carbon Neutral 2050 together with the promotion team.”

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 29th that it will expand various support measures this year to help young adults preparing for independence who leave child welfare facilities in the district upon turning 18 to settle stably in society.

Since last year, the term ‘children who have aged out of care’ has been changed to ‘young adults preparing for independence,’ and the support scope has expanded to include not only child care facilities but also those who have aged out of foster care, thereby expanding the district’s independence support allowance and accident insurance coverage. Many other systems related to independence support are also changing.

Representative changes include ▲increase in independence settlement funds ▲extension of independence allowance period. The independence settlement fund has been increased from 5 million won to 10 million won to reflect realistic support, and the payment period for the independence allowance (300,000 won) has been extended from the previous 3 years to 5 years.

Additionally, the district has independently prepared and is implementing support measures for young adults preparing for independence, such as ▲accident insurance premium support introduced last year as the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts ▲monthly payment of 200,000 won independence support allowance for 3 years after leaving the facility, separate from the government’s independence allowance ▲customized employment support projects for 2030.

Notably, within 5% of the supply volume of Dongjak-gu-type youth customized public housing, priority will be given to those who are about to leave or have left child welfare facilities within 5 years and are homeless, providing a comfortable and stable residential environment after leaving the facility.

SH rental housing support has also been introduced, providing up to 200,000 won per month in rent and residential environment improvement costs to young adults within 5 years of independence who reside (or plan to reside) in SH rental housing, ensuring basic living rights. In addition, new initiatives such as ▲vocational training education support ▲study and employment preparation funds ▲psychological counseling services are being promoted to provide opportunities for career exploration, stable employment preparation, and psychological counseling.

Along with government subsidies, the expansion of this ‘young adult independence support project’ is expected to be a foundation for social advancement for young adults striving to stand on their own.

For detailed information on support for young adults preparing for independence, contact the Child and Youth Division of Dongjak-gu Office.

Kim In-sook, head of the Child and Youth Division, said, “We will strive to devise various support measures so that young adults preparing for independence can take their first step into society stably and support successful independence.”

Residents’ innovative ideas will be reflected in the district budget.

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it will promote the ‘2023 Resident Participatory Budget Proposal Contest,’ where residents directly propose projects to be reflected in next year’s budget.

The resident participatory budgeting system is a system that enhances transparency and democracy in budget management by involving residents in the proposal, review, and selection process during budget formulation.

It is significant in that it allows policy to reflect project ideas that residents genuinely want and that suit local characteristics.

The district is calling for proposals for projects totaling 2.3 billion won aimed at realizing fiscal democracy through resident participation.

The contest fields include new facility investment projects for regional development, local issue projects, and resident-requested projects. Proposals can be made for projects considered essential in daily life across welfare, culture, safety, environment, education, and the overall district. However, projects subsidized by national or city funds, ongoing projects rather than one-year projects, renovation and function reinforcement of community centers (including gyms), subsidy projects supporting specific organizations, and projects implemented through local subsidies are excluded.

Any Gangseo-gu resident can participate in the contest by applying online via the ‘Gangseo-gu website (homepage) - Communication and Participation - Resident Participatory Budgeting System’ or by mail or email from April 1 to May 31.

Detailed information and application forms can be found on the ‘Gangseo-gu website (homepage) - Gangseo News - Notices/News.’

Submitted proposals will undergo review by relevant departments, written evaluation by subcommittees, on-site verification, and resident voting from June, and will be finally selected as 2023 resident participatory budget projects.

This year, the district plans to increase the resident voting ratio from the previous 30% to 50% in project selection to ensure a fairer selection reflecting diverse resident opinions.

Mayor Noh Hyun-song said, “Through resident participatory budgeting, we will expand participation in district administration across various social strata and actively discover life-close projects that improve residents’ quality of life. We hope many residents will show interest and participate so that various projects to make Gangseo-gu a better place to live can be proposed.”

Last year, through the 2022 resident participatory budget proposal contest, the district reflected a total of about 2.18 billion won in 20 projects including ‘Visible Radio Booth Operation,’ ‘Installation of Mobile Ramps for the Disabled,’ and ‘Creation of Integrated Playgrounds in Children’s Parks.’ For inquiries, contact the Gangseo-gu Cooperation and Decentralization Division.

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