Mayor Lee Hyunjae Orders Complete Halt and Reconsideration of Gam-il Public Bus Depot Project

Hanam City Halts Gam-il Public Bus Depot Project
Prioritizing Residents' Opinions in Project Decisions
Mayor Orders Public Transportation Improvements, Including Shorter Bus Intervals

Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province has decided to completely halt and reconsider its plan to build a "Western Area Public Bus Depot," which was originally intended to alleviate traffic congestion in the Gam-il District by 2027.

Hanam City Hall exterior. Provided by Hanam City

The city had initially planned to hold a preliminary briefing session for residents at 7:00 p.m. on August 14 at the Gam-il Administrative Welfare Center to share the results of a feasibility study on the "Western Area Public Bus Depot Construction Project." The purpose of this project was to establish a public bus depot to shorten bus intervals in response to the development of the Gam-il District and the resulting increase in public transportation use by local residents.

This briefing was arranged to present and discuss four candidate sites with residents. These sites were selected as the most suitable locations to minimize inconvenience to residents by ensuring an appropriate depot size, maintaining a sufficient distance from nearby residential areas, and prioritizing locations that are less visible due to surrounding terrain. However, the session was suspended due to opposition from residents. The city expressed regret and disappointment over this outcome.

The city had anticipated that, in the absence of a public bus depot in the western area, issues such as increased deadhead distance, longer bus intervals, and inconvenience in vehicle turnaround and maintenance would persist. By constructing the depot, the total deadhead distance was expected to decrease by 1,186.2 kilometers, potentially reducing bus intervals by up to eight minutes. Additionally, the city projected that adjustments to bus routes would significantly improve public transportation convenience.

Nevertheless, the city determined that prioritizing residents' opinions was the appropriate course of action and decided to halt the depot construction plan. Moving forward, the city plans to explore various alternative solutions to address public transportation inconveniences, aside from building a depot.

Lee Hyunjae, Mayor of Hanam, stated, "I have instructed a complete halt and reconsideration of the depot construction project in order to actively reflect the opinions of local residents," adding, "I have also directed the development of public transportation improvement measures to address inconveniences such as long bus intervals."

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