Seoul City to Immediately Tow Electric Kickboards in 'Traffic Vulnerable Protection Zones' Starting June

From now on, electric scooters left unattended in child, elderly, and disabled protection zones in Seoul will be immediately towed.

Seoul City announced on the 3rd that starting in June, it will implement the "2024 Shared Electric Scooter Management Basic Plan," which includes adding "Traffic Vulnerable Protection Zones" to the sections subject to immediate towing.

Previously, since July 2021, the city has been operating the nation's first "Parking and Stopping Violation Device Reporting and Towing System." Last year, 62,179 devices that obstructed citizen safety were towed.

Source=Seoul City.

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This year's measures significantly strengthen safety standards to protect pedestrians. First, electric scooters violating parking and stopping prohibitions in child, elderly, and disabled protection zones will be towed immediately. After an approximately two-month guidance period, this will be enforced from 7 a.m. on June 3. Accordingly, the immediate towing zones will increase to six areas: ▲roadways and bicycle lanes on roads with separated sidewalks and roadways ▲within 5 meters in front of subway station entrances and exits ▲within 5 meters of bus stops and taxi stands ▲within 3 meters of crosswalks and inside traffic islands ▲on tactile paving blocks and entrances to elevators for the traffic vulnerable ▲and traffic vulnerable protection zones.

Additionally, when large-scale events with large crowds are scheduled, the traffic safety plan before the event must include "shared electric scooter management measures." When a mass gathering event is announced, rental companies will be requested to collect scooters themselves and set no-return zones, and any scooters not collected must be towed immediately to prioritize citizen safety and pedestrian space. In case of adverse weather, electric scooters left on the road may obstruct safety, so when a "Disaster Situation Level 3" is declared, rental companies must collect and store the devices.

Along with public campaigns for a safe usage culture, joint police crackdowns and guidance will be strengthened. The city plans to greatly expand citizen safety education from 2,517 people last year to about 56,000 this year. Also, "electric scooters" will be newly included in the bicycle safety education conducted by the city.

To eradicate illegal operations such as unlicensed driving, drunk driving, and multiple riders, joint police crackdowns and guidance will be conducted focusing on areas with frequent electric scooter accidents or high usage. The city plans to conduct about 30 crackdowns this year in cooperation with the police, autonomous districts, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. Furthermore, the city will strongly demand rental companies to implement safety measures such as introducing a "license certification system" and lowering the maximum speed.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, said, "Strengthening the towing system for electric scooters violating parking and stopping rules is essential to securing pedestrian safety," adding, "Amid ongoing legislative gaps related to electric scooters, we will promote the establishment of a usage culture and encourage rental companies' social responsibility management by combining the highest-level towing system and campaigns within the authority granted to the city."

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