[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Don't worry about walking vulnerable people"... Goyang-si introduces 'Large Sidewalk Blocks'

Eoullim-ro Area and Daehwa-dong Seongjeo Village Transformed into Walkable Roads

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province has taken steps to create pedestrian-friendly and safe walkways by introducing large paving blocks.

On the 31st of last month, Goyang City announced that it has introduced large paving blocks featuring aesthetic design, durability, and flatness, moving away from the dangerous and aging standardized paving blocks. Last year, the city invested a total of 5.82 billion KRW in sidewalk maintenance projects at 16 locations, including the maintenance work along Eoullim-ro. Areas such as Eoullim-ro and Seongjeo Village in Daehwa-dong have been transformed into roads where people can walk safely.

The introduction of large paving blocks has enhanced both aesthetic appeal and safety. Compared to conventional paving blocks, the large blocks offer higher durability and a flatter surface, making it convenient for vulnerable pedestrians using strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers. Directional signboards have also been installed throughout the walkways.

The directional signboards installed on the larger paving blocks have received great feedback as they help first-time visitors to Goyang easily find their destinations. To prevent budget waste and ensure responsible construction, construction history plates have also been installed.

Since June of last year, the city has been working on establishing pedestrian-centered sidewalk maintenance guidelines considering Goyang’s unique characteristics. The main maintenance standards include ▲diversification of materials and specifications for large blocks with flatness, durability, and aesthetics ▲expansion of curb lowering to enhance walking convenience for the mobility-impaired ▲development of design patterns harmonizing with the surrounding environment. The city plans to complete the guideline establishment by early this year and apply it to new sidewalk maintenance projects.

To prioritize safety, inspections of road structures were also conducted. Goyang City’s road structures include a total of 296 sites such as bridges, underpasses, underground walkways, pedestrian overpasses, tunnels, and retaining walls.

Last year, to prevent safety accidents caused by typhoons and localized heavy rains, emergency inspections were carried out on aging bridges within the jurisdiction. Subsequently, comprehensive inspections of bridges in Ilsandong and Seogu districts of the first new town, as well as regular safety inspection services, were conducted to perform double and triple cross-checks on safety conditions. Additionally, repair and reinforcement work was completed on 38 safety-vulnerable facilities including Byeokje Overpass and Myeokjeol Bridge.

Furthermore, the city plans to strengthen the expertise and reliability of safety inspections by introducing the Project Qualification (PQ) evaluation system. This system comprehensively evaluates companies wishing to participate in bids based on their performance, technical capability, and management status, granting bidding eligibility only to those recognized as capable of fulfilling the contract. It will be applied to the detailed safety inspection service for 57 road facilities, including the Hangju IC Second Overpass, scheduled for this year.

Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang City, stated, "We are moving away from the conventional uniform paving blocks by considering various block sizes and materials, resolving height differences, and visual effects. Through the establishment of pedestrian-centered sidewalk maintenance guidelines, we aim to minimize inconvenience not only for vulnerable pedestrians but also for general sidewalk users, creating a safe and comfortable people-centered traffic environment."

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