Gangnam-gu's Persistent Administration Succeeded... Installation of School Zone Signs Completed at 9 Previously Unreported Schools

March Eonbukcho Sidewalk Installation Progress: Construction Underway for Remaining 11 Schools, 9 Schools Completed 2494m Sidewalks... Close Communication to Address Opposition Complaints, Resident Briefings to Explain Project Legitimacy and Gather Opinions... 2 Schools (Dogokcho, Cheongdamcho) in Negotiations for Creating Walking Spaces Using School Grounds -

Opening of the School Route in Front of Daewangcho

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) has completed the installation of sidewalks on mixed pedestrian and vehicle roads within the school zones of nine elementary schools, creating safer routes for students to commute.

Since December last year, the district initiated pedestrian environment improvement construction for 12 elementary schools without sidewalks out of a total of 32 schools in the area, following school zone traffic safety policy meetings and pedestrian environment improvement discussions. Sidewalk installation on the road in the Eonbuk Elementary School zone, where a child traffic accident occurred, was swiftly completed in March, and construction proceeded sequentially for the remaining 11 schools.

For nine elementary schools (Daewang Elementary School 50m, Daehyeon Elementary School 391m, Bongeun Elementary School 204m, Samneung Elementary School 75m, Eonju Elementary School 328m, Shingu Elementary School 377m, Yeonghui Elementary School 142m, Hakdong Elementary School 664m, Yeoksam Elementary School 263m), a total of 2,494 meters of pedestrian paths and sidewalks were completed on November 25, and 912 meters of aging sidewalks at four schools including Daewang Elementary School were refurbished. Newly installed sidewalks will have traffic safety facilities such as anti-slip pavement and protective fences installed by the end of this year.

During the construction process, close communication and persuasion were necessary with residents opposing the work due to inconveniences related to vehicle access to buildings, property rights infringement, and worsening traffic conditions. For Hakdong Elementary School’s Bongeunsa-ro 47-gil and Daehyeon Elementary School’s Yeoksam-ro 92-gil, which are side roads less than 5 meters wide, designation as one-way streets was required for sidewalk installation. The project’s legitimacy was explained and residents’ opinions were gathered through public briefings. The sidewalk installation in front of houses near Daewang Elementary School faced difficulties due to opposition, but the issue was resolved by creating a walking path in the adjacent green area and connecting it to the sidewalk. Some sections of Bongeunsa-ro 43-gil and Seolleung-ro 115-gil near Hakdong Elementary School, where opposition was strong, will be subject to medium- to long-term consultation and review to secure pedestrian paths.

The remaining two schools (Dogok Elementary School and Cheongdam Elementary School) are pursuing plans to create pedestrian spaces using school grounds due to concerns about worsening traffic conditions if one-way street designation is applied. For Dogok Elementary School, currently under negotiation, the plan is to complete consultations with the education office and school by the end of this year, conduct detailed design work in the first half of next year, and complete sidewalk installation by December next year.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “Since the last accident, we have prioritized protecting children’s right to safety and have pushed forward with the construction. Going forward, we will regularly conduct on-site inspections and facility maintenance not only in elementary school child protection zones but also in kindergarten and daycare child protection zones to create safe commuting routes where children in Gangnam can walk with peace of mind.”

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