"Really Noisy" Delivery Workers at Record High... Motorcycle Noise Stress Also Increasing

Delivery Workers Surge to 428,000 After COVID-19, a Record High
Complaints About Motorcycle Noise Increase... Ministry of Environment Strengthens Motorcycle Noise Regulations

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of delivery workers engaged in food delivery and parcel shipping has surged, leading to a corresponding increase in complaints related to delivery motorcycle noise. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Woo-seok] "It's really noisy at night, so I can't sleep properly."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of delivery workers engaged in food delivery and parcel delivery has surged, leading to a flood of complaints related to motorcycle noise.

According to the '2021 Second Half Regional Employment Survey - Characteristics of Employed Persons by Industry and Region' released by Statistics Korea on the 19th, the number of delivery workers was recorded at 428,000 in October last year. This is the highest figure since related statistics began to be compiled in 2013. Statistics Korea conducts regional employment surveys twice a year, in April and October.

Following the spread of COVID-19 and social distancing measures, demand for delivery and parcel services increased, causing a rapid rise in the number of delivery workers. The number increased by 11.8% from 349,000 in 2019 to 390,000 in 2020, and continued to rise steadily by 9.7% last year. However, the increase between 2018 (346,000) and 2019, before COVID-19, was only 0.7%.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of delivery workers engaged in food delivery and parcel shipping has surged, leading to a corresponding increase in complaints related to delivery motorcycle noise. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The problem is that as the number of delivery workers has increased, complaints about motorcycle noise have also been on the rise. Motorcycle noise complaints were 935 in 2019, just under 1,000, but surged to 1,473 in 2020 and 2,154 in 2021.

University areas, where many single-person households live alone and demand for delivery is high, are particularly vulnerable to noise. The anonymous university student community 'Everytime' is flooded with related complaints.

An anonymous user A said, "The exhaust noise is too loud, especially at night, making it hard to sleep. It seems like the motorcycles have been modified to amplify the exhaust sound." He added, "It's really tough because the roads in university areas are narrow."

Another anonymous user B said, "My studio apartment is on the 6th floor, but I can hear the noise clearly. Also, when I walk around the streets, many motorcycles drive dangerously, which is annoying."

Another user posted a detailed guide on how to report noise-causing and dangerous motorcycle driving. The poster stated at the beginning that they have had sleepless nights due to motorcycle noise for days and almost got hit by a two-wheeled vehicle on the sidewalk, writing the post for public interest.

Meanwhile, given the situation, the government has moved to strengthen regulations on motorcycle noise. The main points are raising the allowable exhaust noise standards for two-wheeled vehicles and banning operation in certain areas if the noise exceeds a specified level.

Earlier, on the 15th of last month, the Ministry of Environment announced plans to tighten the exhaust noise standards for operating two-wheeled vehicles from the current "105 dB regardless of engine displacement" to "86-95 dB depending on engine displacement" and to designate two-wheeled vehicles exceeding 95 dB as "mobile noise sources." Once designated as a mobile noise source, operation and use are prohibited during specified times in "mobile noise regulation zones" designated by local governments. Currently, mobile noise sources include commercial loudspeakers and recreational sound devices.

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