"20% Faster" Uijeongbu Sinpyeonghwaro, Traffic Flow Changed by Exclusive Lane Removal

Uijeongbu City, Sinpyeonghwa-ro: Starting Point for Urban Traffic Flow Improvement
Removal of Unreasonable Dedicated Lane... Noticeable Changes Felt by Citizens
Persuading Opposition Through Thorough Research and Simulation
Mayor Kim Dong-geun: "We Will Bring Change to Citizens' Lives with Field-Oriented Policies"

Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Dong-geun) temporarily lifted the central bus-only lane restriction on Sinpyeonghwa-ro from the 1st of this month, allowing general vehicles to use the lane as well.

Mayor Kim Dong-geun is inspecting the temporary lifting of the dedicated central bus lane on Sinpyeonghwa-ro on the 16th. Provided by Uijeongbu City

According to Uijeongbu City on the 17th, this measure was implemented to alleviate traffic congestion in the areas of Sinpyeonghwa-ro, Dongillo, and Seogye-ro, which connect Minrak-dong to Jangam Station and Dobongsan Station Metropolitan Transfer Center. Notably, the average travel time for passenger cars from Minrak 2 District Hwalgi Sports Park to Dobongsan Station during morning rush hours was reduced from 16-20 minutes to 13-16 minutes, showing an improvement of about 20%. This change is recognized as a tangible improvement that citizens can directly feel in their daily lives.

What stands out is that, in addition to improved traffic flow for general vehicles due to the removal of the dedicated lane, bus travel times were either unaffected or even improved. This case is drawing attention as a solution addressing the issues of the partially and irrationally operated bus-only lane from the perspective of overall traffic flow.

Sinpyeonghwa-ro is a major road within the jurisdiction that serves as an alternative to the northern section of National Route 3 in Gyeonggi Province, running through Minrak-dong and Yonghyeon-dong and connecting to Dongillo. Normally, one of the three lanes in this heavily trafficked section was designated as a central bus-only lane, restricting passage for passenger cars and other general vehicles, which caused severe and habitual congestion.

The dedicated lane in question was originally planned to operate as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. However, due to geometric road structure issues, the actual operation has been as a central bus-only lane rather than a BRT, with only a portion of the planned 8.6 km extension (4.4 km) in operation since October 2018.

This reduced operation compared to the plan, decreased efficiency, frequent lane changes at the start and end points of the dedicated lane causing traffic congestion, and sudden severe traffic jams created complex problems. Since the early stages of operation, complaints demanding the removal of the dedicated lane have been continuously raised.

Since the second half of 2022, Uijeongbu City has made alleviating traffic congestion a major administrative task and has been gradually developing traffic improvement measures across the entire city.

In particular, the city launched the 'Traffic Congestion Area Improvement Project (TSM)' targeting the entire city, selecting Mangadae Intersection and Sinpyeonghwa-ro as the first project sites. On-site traffic volume analysis revealed that between 7 and 8 a.m. on weekdays, the general lane heading toward Seoul carried 1,886 vehicles, while only 28 buses operated in the central bus-only lane.

Additionally, multiple issues were identified, including lane change congestion at road merge points and an unreasonable bus operation structure requiring buses to turn right from the first lane. Based on these findings, the city developed various improvement plans such as lane restrictions, alignment adjustments, and removal of the dedicated lane, conducting several simulations.

Last August, a community briefing session on the improvement of the dedicated central bus lane operation on Sinpyeonghwa-ro. Provided by Uijeongbu City

After preparing the improvement plans, Uijeongbu City held resident briefing sessions on August 23 and 24 last year at the Songsan 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center to listen to the opinions of residents who actually use the section and to build consensus.

At the sessions, Park Chun-soo, Director of the Transportation Bureau, detailed the simulation results, anticipated issues, and countermeasures, helping the local community understand the removal of the dedicated lane. Subsequently, on September 23, a press conference was held at City Hall’s press room to explain the problems of incomplete dedicated lane operation and the improvement plans, officially announcing the temporary removal.

According to Article 3 of the Act on the Promotion and Use of Public Transportation (commonly known as the Public Transportation Act), local governments must continuously pursue policies to promote and support public transportation. Within this legal obligation, concerns were raised both inside and outside the city that the decision to temporarily lift the central bus-only lane might contradict public transportation activation policies.

Some segments of civil society and many citizens argued for maintaining the bus-only lane to promote public transportation and achieve carbon neutrality, conveying their opinions through numerous complaints. In particular, they pointed out that removing the dedicated lane infringes on the right of buses, as public transportation, to travel and conflicts with the local government's responsibility to foster public transportation.

Some citizens also expressed the view that prioritizing the convenience of general vehicles by removing the dedicated lane is a short-term relief rather than a long-term improvement of the traffic system. The city listened to these diverse concerns and opinions and sought to share the legitimacy and validity of the policy with citizens through multifaceted explanations and guidance.

Nevertheless, based on thorough traffic volume analysis and multiple simulations, the city proceeded with the policy confident that removing the dedicated lane could positively affect not only general vehicle traffic flow but also bus operations. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Uijeongbu Police Station, the city reviewed traffic safety facility standards and conducted test drives to verify effectiveness and safety.

Through this process, the city established the direction of traffic policy on a cautious and scientific basis while respecting the diverse perspectives of citizens.

Last September, a press conference on the improvement of the Shinpyeonghwa-ro central bus-only lane operation. Provided by Uijeongbu City

Uijeongbu City completed construction-related procedures by the second half of last year and began the temporary removal of the central bus-only lane and road improvement construction at the start of this year, coinciding with the lifting of the winter construction suspension. After about a month of construction, the central bus-only lane was temporarily lifted from April 1, allowing general vehicles to enter.

As a result, general vehicle travel time decreased by about 20% without significant changes to bus operation times.

Since then, Uijeongbu City has been continuously monitoring traffic volumes at six intersections in the Sinpyeonghwa-ro area to respond to changes. Additionally, the city is reviewing follow-up measures such as adjusting the central line position at Jangam Station Intersection in case vehicle concentration increases on Sinpyeonghwa-ro in the future.

Mayor Kim Dong-geun personally inspected the improved section by driving through it on the 16th. At the site, Mayor Kim said, "We will continue to implement traffic policies that citizens can feel directly on the ground," and added, "We will do our best to provide citizens with a convenient and safe traffic environment."

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