Crosswalks in Yellow? ... School Zones to Get a Makeover in the Second Half of the Year

July 4 Amendment to Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules
Positive Reactions from Both Students and Parents
"Traffic Guidance Personnel Should Also Be Deployed" Opinions

"Since the crosswalk turned yellow, it seems like cars slow down more compared to when it was white, and it feels safer." (Lee, a 5th grader attending an elementary school in Jung-gu, Seoul)

Around 8 a.m. on the 20th near Heungin Elementary School in Jung-gu, Seoul. As the pedestrian signal turned green, elementary school students and commuters crossed the yellow crosswalk. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

At 8:43 a.m. on the 20th, between exits 2 and 3 of Cheonggu Station. The crosswalk here is yellow, not white. When the pedestrian signal turned green, an elementary school student standing on the 'Yellow Carpet' crossed the yellow crosswalk holding a rainbow-colored umbrella. Behind the student, who appeared to be in the lower grades, a mother holding a black umbrella followed. Under the red traffic light for vehicles, cars strictly observed the stop line. Jung-gu Office installed three yellow crosswalk zones near Heungin Elementary School last month.

The yellow crosswalk is a facility installed to prevent traffic accidents in school zones. It is expected to help drivers recognize school zones just by the color of the crosswalk. Following the revision of the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules on July 4, yellow crosswalks will be installed in school zones starting in the second half of this year.

The effectiveness of yellow crosswalks has already been proven. After a three-month pilot installation in 12 school zones across seven cities and provinces nationwide last year, the Road Traffic Authority analyzed the results and found that 88.6% of drivers responded that it helped them recognize the protected zones. 59.9% said they observed the stop line better when the crosswalk was yellow. Jeon Jae-seon (72, male), who has lived in Jung-gu for over 30 years, said, "I pay a little more attention when driving," adding, "Yellow definitely catches the eye much more than white." In fact, observing from this time until the pedestrian signal turned green 15 times, the stop line was observed 10 times in two lanes excluding the detour lane. Cases where the stop line was not perfectly observed involved slightly crossing the line or motorcycles stopping just before the line.

At 8:34 a.m. on the 20th, citizens are crossing the yellow crosswalk near Cheonggu Station.
Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

Students and parents showed positive reactions to the newly installed yellow crosswalks. Kang (11, male) said, "Since it clearly marks the school zone, it somehow feels safer." Lee (70, female), who was waiting in the rain to pick up her 3rd-grade grandchild, said, "I came out to pick up my grandchild because it’s raining today," adding, "Usually, they come home alone, but since the crosswalk is painted in a noticeable yellow, I feel reassured."

However, some parents expressed that traffic guidance should accompany the installation of yellow crosswalks. Jung Yoo-jin (44), mother of a 1st grader, said, "It’s good because it stands out," but added, "There are traffic guides during school arrival times, but none during dismissal, which is unfortunate." She continued, "Sometimes when children hesitate to cross because of fast-moving cars during dismissal, I have crossed with them," and said, "If traffic guidance is provided during dismissal as well, the school zone would be even safer." Han Soo-yeon (47), who came to pick up her son, also said, "We tell children to look left and right when going to and from school, but it’s still worrisome," adding, "The yellow crosswalk makes me feel a bit more at ease, but traffic guidance is needed during peak movement times."

Since the revision was implemented recently, only a few yellow crosswalks have been installed in some school zones by district offices. Even in this area where yellow crosswalks were installed, the other three crosswalks at the intersection in the school zone were painted white under yellow traffic lights. In Jung-gu, only some sections near Heungin Elementary, Chungmu Elementary, and Cheonggu Elementary are painted yellow. Kim Sung-sook (59, female), who has grandchildren in another area, said, "Drivers observe the stop line well near yellow crosswalks," and added, "I hope they install them on the routes my grandchildren take as well." A Jung-gu Office official said, "Since the installation of yellow crosswalks in school zones was recently implemented, only some sections are painted," adding, "By next year, all crosswalks within protected zones will be painted yellow." Seoul City plans to collect project plans from each district office early next year and allocate the related budget.

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