Seoul City Launches 'Hangang Bicycle Patrol' Activities to Promote Bicycle Safety Culture

Han River Project Headquarters Operates 'Hangang Bicycle Patrol' Composed of 40 Bicycle Enthusiasts
Running on Bicycle Paths of All 11 Hangang Parks from April to December for Safe Riding Campaign

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Hangang Project Headquarters announced on the 26th that it has completed the recruitment of the ‘Hangang Bicycle Patrol’ composed of bicycle enthusiasts and will begin full-scale operations.

Recently, as the number of bicycle users in Hangang Park has increased and PM (Personal Mobility) devices such as electric kickboards have been allowed to operate on bicycle paths, the need to spread a proper bicycle usage culture has grown. The number of bicycle users in Hangang Park has been on the rise, with 13 million in 2019, 15 million in 2020, and 16 million in 2021.

The ‘Hangang Bicycle Patrol’ is a citizen patrol team formed to prevent accidents on bicycle paths and promote bicycle safety culture. They ride bicycles throughout Hangang Park, conduct safety culture campaigns, and monitor the condition of facilities such as bicycle path surfaces and signboards.

Last month, Seoul City recruited volunteers for the ‘Hangang Bicycle Patrol’ from private bicycle organizations and clubs, ultimately selecting 40 members. They will be active riding various parts of the Hangang Park bicycle paths every week until December. They will conduct a ‘Bicycle Path Safe Riding Campaign’ to inform all bicycle users and pedestrians in Hangang Park of essential safety rules to protect everyone’s safety and prevent accidents on the bicycle paths.

Starting this year, they will also conduct safety monitoring of bicycle path facilities. This activity proactively identifies potential risk factors such as surface damage on bicycle paths, the installation status of traffic safety signs, and the aging condition of convenience facilities like bicycle racks. After inspection, they immediately request action from the responsible departments and continuously monitor improvements to create safer bicycle paths.

The ‘Hangang Bicycle Patrol’ divides the total 78 km of bicycle paths across 11 Hangang Parks into four zones: Southeast, Northeast, Southwest, and Northwest, with teams of five members participating in each zone.

Yoon Jong-jang, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Hangang Project Headquarters, said, “With the warm spring weather and the lifting of social distancing, it is expected that more people will take time to recover a healthy daily life at Hangang Park,” adding, “We hope everyone sympathizes with and participates in the ‘Hangang Bicycle Patrol’ campaign activities to make Hangang Park safe for all.”

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