Mistaken for a Highway?… Incheon-daero Records 190,000 Speeding Violations and 4.2 Billion Won in Fines Over 5 Years

Assemblyman Heo Jongsik: "Active Promotion Needed to Ensure Compliance with Speed Limits"

Unmanned surveillance camera [Asia Economy file photo]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] It has been five years since the section from the old Gyeongin Expressway Incheon starting point to Seoincheon IC (9.45 km) was changed to a general road called 'Incheon-daero,' and the speed limit was lowered. However, it has been revealed that an average of 136 speeding violations are detected daily.

With many drivers still perceiving it as an expressway, there are calls for the police to actively promote and educate about compliance with the speed limit.

According to data submitted by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency to Heo Jongsik, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap), the number of speeding violations on Incheon-daero over the past five years reached 190,434 cases.

The designation of this section as part of the Gyeongin Expressway was revoked on December 1, 2017, and from December 3, 2018, when enforcement equipment began operating after the conversion to a general road, an average of 136 violations have been detected daily until September 30 of this year. Since the warning period ended and fines began to be imposed in April 2019, a total of 4.17542 billion KRW in fines has been collected.

Speed enforcement is conducted at a total of seven points along the Incheon-daero round trip. The section from Seoincheon IC to Gajwa IC (8.5 km on Incheon-daero, Seo-gu, Incheon) recorded the highest amount of fines at 1.39129 billion KRW (62,027 cases), followed by the section from Gajwa IC to Dohwa IC (6 km on Incheon-daero, Seo-gu, Incheon) with 666.68 million KRW (38,991 cases).

Combined, these two sections account for 101,018 cases, far surpassing the top speeding enforcement location in Incheon, Gyeongwon Goga Bridge in Yeonsu-gu (76,359 cases), making it effectively the area with the most speeding violations detected in Incheon.

It is analyzed that a significant number of vehicles entering from Seoul and the Metropolitan Area 1st Ring Expressway via Bupyeong IC toward Incheon were caught, suggesting that residents outside Incheon still perceive Incheon-daero as an expressway.

Assemblyman Heo Jongsik said, "It seems that a considerable number of citizens still perceive Incheon-daero as an expressway, and since speed cameras are installed almost every 1 km along Incheon-daero, drivers tend to briefly reduce speed only in front of cameras, a so-called 'kangaroo driving,' which does not greatly contribute to safety. Instead of just collecting fines through speed enforcement, active promotion and education should be undertaken to effectively prevent accidents."

Meanwhile, when Incheon-daero was deregulated as an expressway, the speed limit was lowered from 100 km/h to 60 km/h, but due to public inconvenience, it was raised to 70 km/h starting in 2019.

Heo Jong-sik, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker

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