Seongdong-gu, Newly Designated Disabled Protection Zone on the Road in Front of Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic

Designation of 'Disabled Protection Zone' on the Road in Front of Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic (42 Ttukseom-ro 1-gil) to Enhance Mobility and Safe Walking Environment for Disabled and Vulnerable Road Users... Completion of Improvements Including Traffic Safety Signs, Road Markings, Sidewalk Paving, and Anti-Slip Coating in the Protection Zone to Protect Disabled Rights and Prevent Accidents

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it has newly designated the road in front of ‘Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic (42 Ttukseom-ro 1-gil)’ as a ‘Disabled Protection Zone’ to improve mobility convenience and walking environment for people with disabilities.

‘Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic’ is Seoul’s first district-run specialized rehabilitation medical facility for people with disabilities, established in 2012, serving an average of about 40 visitors per day and approximately 4,000 annually (5,723 in 2023).

The district designated the road section in front of the main entrance of ‘Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic’ on Wangsimni-ro 4ga-gil (L=63m) as a Disabled Protection Zone so that the primary users, people with disabilities, can use the facility in a safer walking environment.

The ‘Disabled Protection Zone’ was introduced in 2011 to prevent traffic accidents around welfare facilities for people with disabilities. Initially, it was only designated for residential facilities for people with disabilities, but since April 2022, it has been expanded to include all welfare facilities for people with disabilities, including daytime use facilities. Within this zone, vehicle speed is limited to 30 km/h, and parking and stopping are prohibited to reduce the risk of traffic accidents for people with disabilities.

However, compared to child protection zones, ‘Disabled Protection Zones’ have relatively low social interest, resulting in a low designation rate.

Seongdong-gu also manages protection zones for a total of 55 facilities (50 for children, 5 for the elderly), but ‘Seongdong Rehabilitation Clinic’ is the first to be designated as a ‘Disabled Protection Zone’.

The district completed improvements to traffic safety facilities within the ‘Disabled Protection Zone’ by conducting detailed design technical services, installing traffic safety signs, road surface markings, sidewalk pavement maintenance, and anti-slip pavement installation.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “The designation of the ‘Disabled Protection Zone’ is the minimum safety measure and a necessary safety action to ensure a safe walking environment for vulnerable people with disabilities. Starting with this new designation of the ‘Disabled Protection Zone,’ we will gradually expand these zones and make thorough efforts to protect the rights of people with disabilities and prevent accidents.”

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