Allowing General Vehicle Traffic on Yeonse-ro Revives 'Sinchon Commercial District'

Seodaemun-gu to Hold Discussion on 'Yonsero Public Transport-Only Zone Pilot Operation Results' in Sinchon on the 13th
Recorded Highest Sales and Foot Traffic Growth Compared to University Commercial Areas of Similar Scale
Comparison Areas Preselected in Consultation with Seoul (Kondaeipgu, Seouldaeipgu, Gyodae Station)
Traffic Change Survey, Traffic Volume Analysis, and Monitoring Show 'No Traffic Congestion Issues'
Yonsero Traffic Service Level and Bus Operation Speed Meet Pre-Agreed Seoul City Standards

During the pilot suspension period of the ‘Yonsei-ro Public Transportation-Only Zone’ in the first half of this year, it was found that the Yonsei-ro commercial district was more active compared to other areas and that there were no issues with traffic flow.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seongheon) held a discussion session on the results of the ‘Yonsei-ro Vehicle Traffic Upgrade’ on the 13th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Malgeunnae Hall of the Baekjun Memorial Hall of Changcheon Church, attended by about 200 local residents, merchants, and experts in related fields.

Professor Yoon Sanghyuk of the Department of Industrial Management at Korea University of Technology and Education, who presented on the day, analyzed the Yonsei-ro commercial district based on data provided by the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation as of September 4, 2023.

According to this, the ‘total sales’ growth rate of the Yonsei-ro commercial district in the first half of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022 was 22.0%, the highest among similar university commercial districts in Seoul (Seoul National University Station -4.1%, Gyodae Station 14.8%, Konkuk University Station 11.5%).

During the same period, the ‘sales per store’ and ‘floating population growth rate’ of the Yonsei-ro commercial district were also the highest at 23.0% and 38.6%, respectively.

▲Comparing the ‘sales per store’ growth rates of ▲Seoul City overall ▲Seodaemun-gu overall ▲Yonsei-ro commercial district, the results were 8.2%, 20.3%, and 23.0%, respectively.

For reference, the three comparison areas were pre-selected through consultation between Seoul City and Seodaemun-gu as ‘university commercial districts similar in sales and floating population scale to Yonsei-ro’ before the pilot suspension, and were not arbitrarily chosen by Seodaemun-gu.

Traffic engineer Jinwhan Kim, CEO of Jinseong, presented the traffic monitoring results of Yonsei-ro for the first half of this year.

According to this, Yonsei-ro currently has a service grade of D, and the bus travel speed is maintained at ▲an average weekday speed of 11.65 km/h (12.30 km/h before suspension) ▲an average weekend speed of 11.18 km/h (11.35 km/h before suspension).

Seoul City had decided that after the pilot suspension of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone, if the traffic service level (A to F) of Yonsei-ro is D (stable traffic flow, high density) or higher and the bus operating speed is above 10 km/h, it would be judged as ‘no traffic congestion issues.’

Furthermore, the number of vehicles on the side streets of Yonsei-ro decreased, thereby enhancing pedestrian safety.

In fact, on weekdays, the traffic volume on the side streets near Changseo Elementary School by Yonsei-ro decreased from 2,088 vehicles per day to 1,877 (weekends from 1,872 to 1,718), and the traffic volume on Myeongmul-gil decreased from 849 vehicles per day to 697 (weekends from 804 to 711).

Following this presentation, a discussion was held chaired by Shin Hyesook, former president of the Korea Transportation Engineers Association. Panelists included Kim Bongsu, president of the Sinchon Shopping District Promotion Association; Jung Jiwoong, Seoul City Council member; Kim Kyungmin, professor at Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies; and Lee Seongheon, mayor of Seodaemun-gu.

The mayor emphasized, “Since the scientific survey and analysis results clearly satisfy ‘activation effect of the commercial district’ and ‘no traffic congestion issues,’ Seoul City should lift the public transportation-only zone in September as originally promised to the citizens.”

Regarding Seoul City’s claim that “it is unclear whether the sales increase is due to the end of COVID-19 or the suspension of the public transportation-only zone,” he said, “If the growth rate of the Yonsei-ro commercial district is higher compared to similar university commercial districts, it is reasonable to attribute this to the effect of the pilot suspension of the public transportation-only zone.”

Professor Kim Kyungmin emphasized the importance of accessibility for commercial district revitalization, Council member Jung Jiwoong stressed the importance of mutual trust between the city’s announced policies and residents, and President Kim Bongsu urged Seoul City to listen to residents concerned about commercial district decline.

Seodaemun-gu added that “the various pedestrian-oriented traffic infrastructures previously installed on the widened sidewalks of Yonsei-ro have been well maintained without damage, and during the pilot suspension period of the public transportation-only zone, car-free streets have been implemented as needed and will continue to be implemented in the future.”

Originally, Seoul City announced on January 5, 2023 (Seoul Metropolitan Government Announcement No. 2023-13) that it intended to temporarily suspend the operation of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone, which was designated and operated to alleviate downtown traffic congestion and promote commercial district revitalization.

It also stated that “this is to comprehensively review and judge whether the purpose of designating the public transportation-only zone is lost by analyzing the effects of traffic volume and sales changes due to the suspension of the public transportation-only zone on the 550m section of Yonsei-ro (Sinchon Rotary to Yonsei University Intersection),” and that “the suspension period is from January 20 to September 30, 2023.”

However, Seoul City recently informed Seodaemun-gu that it has changed this policy and plans to re-implement the public transportation-only zone on Sinchon Yonsei-ro for six months from October this year to March next year.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon responded on August 30 during the 320th Seoul City Council extraordinary session to a question about the lifting of the Yonsei-ro public transportation-only zone, saying, “Although the seasons are different, if we compare and decide based on which side has a higher sales increase, we can make a decision without regret looking 10 or 20 years ahead.”

He also mentioned, “(Rather than comparing with other locations,) I think it would be wise to compare one place to see whether only public transportation operates after the end of COVID-19 or not.”

In response, Seodaemun-gu pointed out that “there are year-end and seasonal factors, so simply comparing the six months of the first half of 2023 with the additional six months (October 2023 to March 2024) that Seoul City plans to implement again lacks logical validity and persuasiveness.”

It also expressed concern that “if the decision to lift the public transportation-only zone is made by simply comparing sales during different six-month periods within the same commercial district amid various variables such as the government’s recently announced plan to revitalize tourism by 2 million Chinese tourists, it will only cause greater confusion.”

Meanwhile, during the nine years since 2014 when Yonsei-ro was the only public transportation-only zone in Seoul, no additional zones have been added by Seoul City, and the fact that Daegu Jungang-ro, the first public transportation-only zone in Korea, is considering partial suspension to revitalize its commercial district also supports Seodaemun-gu’s request to lift the public transportation-only zone.

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