Implementation According to Nowon-gu Sidewalk Block Replacement and Maintenance Plan

Nowon-gu Establishes Rational Sidewalk Maintenance Improvement Plan... Prioritizes Maintenance Based on Thorough Survey, Implements Maintenance According to Plan... Annual Maintenance Plans and Schedules Published on Website to Fulfill Residents' Right to Know... Includes Measures to Suppress Waste Material Generation, Promote Recycling, and Restore Sidewalk Damage Caused by Responsible Parties

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has established a 'Sidewalk Maintenance Improvement Plan' for the systematic management of aging sidewalks and will disclose it to the residents.

This improvement plan mainly includes ▲selection criteria for maintenance target sites and priorities ▲criteria to suppress indiscriminate maintenance of private property ▲disclosure of maintenance plans through the website.

Since 2019, the district has been conducting annual maintenance on sidewalks rated C or below after comprehensively assessing the management level of pedestrian paths through a local sidewalk status survey. By 2023, about 40.88 km, approximately 50% of the 82.16 km maintenance target, had been completed. To respond to the continuous rise in material and labor costs, an efficient sidewalk maintenance system has been established.

Going forward, the district plans to closely identify maintenance targets for C-grade aging roads in collaboration with each neighborhood community center and manage priorities based on five evaluation criteria: aging level, damage level, aging of tactile blocks, aging of curbstones, and narrowness.

In this process, if the curbstones are in good condition, only the existing gutters will be repaired to reduce the amount of curbstone waste generated. Additionally, by adding anti-slip functions to the curbstones, the district aims to save budget while ensuring pedestrian safety.

When sidewalks are installed on private property, the necessity will be reviewed more strictly to suppress indiscriminate maintenance of private land. Maintenance priorities will be determined based on available budget and expected effects only when there is no separate public sidewalk formed, or when the sidewalk functions as a de facto public sidewalk due to heavy foot traffic, and with the permission of the private property owner.

In this process, the district plans to revise related administrative regulations and post the sidewalk maintenance plan on the district website in February to disclose it to residents. The website will mainly include the 'Annual Sidewalk Maintenance Plan' and 'Waste Material Recycling Application,' providing information on the target sections and schedules of annual sidewalk maintenance works, as well as news related to recycling waste materials generated during construction. Although the maintenance plan will be updated if additional budget is secured during the year, emergency maintenance works due to sidewalk damage will be carried out immediately regardless of the posted plan to prevent resident inconvenience and safety accidents.

Pedestrian-friendly sidewalk maintenance is closely related to residents' daily lives and is an essential urban management task, yet there are frequent cases of residents suffering from various complaints, dissatisfaction, and distrust.

A district official expressed hope that the establishment of this improvement plan and its disclosure on the website will dispel misunderstandings about 'wasteful replacement of sidewalk blocks' and 'preferential construction for certain complainants,' and secure residents' trust in transparent and rational sidewalk maintenance.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, stated, “It is difficult to gain residents' trust whether sidewalks are maintained or not with a haphazard response relying on complaints. We will improve a pleasant walking environment that meets residents' expectations based on accurate on-site verification and principles.”

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