Seoul City Implements 'Winter Traffic Comprehensive Plan' to Prepare for Cold Wave

Implemented Until March Next Year

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 15th that it will promptly establish the '2023 Winter Traffic Comprehensive Measures' to ensure that citizens experience no inconvenience in mobility despite heavy snowfall and cold waves during the winter season. These measures will be implemented for four months until March 15 next year, and will comprehensively manage everything from ▲ safety inspections of transportation facilities including public transportation and Ddareungi bike-sharing, ▲ improvements to bus stop and station facilities such as heated seats, to ▲ activation of emergency transportation measures and information guidance when weather alerts such as heavy snowfall are issued, thereby supporting citizens' livelihoods and mobility convenience.

First, Seoul Transportation Corporation, Seoul Metro Line 9, Ui-Sinseol Light Rail, and Namseoul Light Rail (Sillim Line operator), which operate the Seoul subway, have established winter safety measures by sector including stations, vehicles, tracks, and vehicle depots, and have been conducting focused inspections on facilities vulnerable to cold waves and heavy snow since October. Buses, taxis, bus stops, traffic safety facilities, and other transportation facilities are also being inspected according to inspection plans, and any deficiencies found are tracked and managed until fully remedied.

In addition, the city is continuously installing heated seats at bus stops throughout the district to provide convenience to citizens waiting for buses during winter and transitional seasons, and plans to increase the installation rate from 51.9% in 2022 to 81.4% (3,433 units) by the end of this year. To prepare for cold waves in the subway, automatic windproof doors were installed at exits 1 and 7 of Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3 this year, and customer waiting rooms were installed on both the up and down lines at Ttukseom Resort Station on Line 7.

The city encourages citizens to use public transportation during snowfall due to the high likelihood of road congestion and passenger car accidents, and to minimize inconvenience caused by increased passengers, it will extend peak dispatch times and last train times during commuting hours according to disaster levels. However, bus operations will be implemented considering the characteristics of each route and road conditions, and accurate public transportation operation information will be separately provided through Dasan Call 120, media reports, the TOPIS website, and the mobile app (Seoul Transportation Portal). Furthermore, sections where bus operation was difficult due to heavy snow and ice are pre-selected, and rapid snow removal will be coordinated among Seoul City, autonomous districts, and bus companies via an emergency contact network during heavy snowfall. Bus companies will proactively begin snow removal work starting from roads around bus garages to secure bus operation routes as much as possible.

Regarding Ddareungi bike-sharing, since demand decreases in winter, only 80% of the usual peak season units will be deployed on site, and operation suspension will be considered upon issuance of a Level 2 (Heavy Snow Advisory), with immediate suspension planned upon issuance of a Level 3 (Heavy Snow Warning).

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, said, “We are thoroughly managing winter public transportation operations, from safety inspections of transportation facilities to establishing emergency snow removal and recovery systems and emergency transportation measures, to support citizens’ mobility and livelihoods despite heavy snow and cold waves.” He added, “Since sudden weather changes have become frequent recently, we ask citizens to check weather information before going out and to leave their passenger cars behind and use public transportation during heavy snowfall.”

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