"Up to 150,000 Users Daily"... New Crosswalk Connecting Banpodaero and Hangang Park Established

Reducing East Side Congestion for Safer Access to Hangang Park
Seoul City Developing Pedestrian Plan for Jamsugyo Bridge

The appearance after the crosswalk opening. (Photo by Seocho District Office)

A new crosswalk has been installed on Banpodaero Road leading from Won Bailey Apartment to the Han River. This area experiences heavy foot traffic from visitors to Banpo Hangang Park.

Seocho-gu District Office in Seoul (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 28th that a new crosswalk connecting the public pedestrian path on the west side of Banpodaero Road near Won Bailey to the entrance of Banpo Hangang Park has been opened this month.

Banpo Hangang Park is a popular Han River attraction with many sights such as Sebitseom, Seorae Island, and the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain. It is connected to the north and south bike paths of the Han River via the Jamsu Bridge, attracting many visitors. Especially during the “Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubok Ttubok Festival,” the area can see crowds exceeding 150,000 people in a single day.

To get to Banpo Hangang Park from the nearby subway station, Express Bus Terminal Station, pedestrians had to walk along the east sidewalk of Banpodaero Road, cross a crosswalk, and then use an underground passage leading toward Jamsu Bridge.

The east sidewalk was narrow compared to the volume of pedestrians, making it difficult for people to pass each other and inconvenient for those pushing strollers or carts. During peak times, pedestrians would spill onto the roadway, increasing the risk of traffic accidents.

In this situation, the completion of the Won Bailey Apartment reconstruction last year led to the opening of a public pedestrian path right in front of it on the west side of Banpodaero Road. Although a wide sidewalk of 6 to 8 meters was created, access to the Han River via Jamsu Bridge was still blocked.

Therefore, the district office worked hard to enable pedestrian access to the Han River from this public pedestrian path. Since the installation of a new crosswalk requires review by the National Police Agency, multiple consultations were held with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul city government.

The Police Agency stipulated that to minimize the impact on vehicle traffic on Banpodaero and Olympic-daero Roads, the signal system should be a button-operated crosswalk (pedestrian-activated signal), and that traffic safety facilities around the crosswalk should be reinforced as a condition of approval.

The district office installed traffic safety facilities such as signal and speed enforcement cameras and warning lights around the crosswalk to enhance pedestrian safety, and expanded the sidewalk adjacent to the underground passage. They also plan to install highly visible runway-style crosswalk lighting and ground-level traffic signals.

The Won Bailey Apartment Reconstruction Association contributed part of the construction costs for the crosswalk and the basic planning service fees for the Han River connection path.

Meanwhile, the Seoul city government is developing a “Jamsu Bridge Pedestrianization Plan” and is considering various new access routes, including elevators directly descending from Banpo Bridge to the Han River, to accommodate the increasing number of Han River visitors.

District Mayor Jeon Seong-su stated, “We will continue to make efforts to improve the pedestrian-centered traffic environment.”

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