Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Receives 1,258 Citizen Reports on Traffic Inconveniences, Improves 408 Cases

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), which is implementing the Seoul Traffic Redesign Project, received over 1,200 citizen suggestions in just 20 days and has already improved about one-third of them. In some sections, travel speeds have increased by approximately 30%.
SMPA announced on the 2nd that it had received a total of 1,258 citizen proposals related to Seoul traffic from October 10 to 30, of which 408 cases (32%) have been addressed. The remaining 850 cases will be handled sequentially, categorized as short-term (within one month), mid-term (one to three months), and long-term (over three months).
Since October 3, SMPA has been carrying out the Seoul Traffic Redesign Project through the end of June next year, aiming to improve traffic hazards and inconveniences. Even longstanding issues that had not been resolved for years are being re-examined from the citizens’ perspective to develop new solutions.
A notable improvement is the 'Dongbu Expressway to Naebu Ring Road Entrance Section, Seongdong-gu,' which had been plagued by chronic lane cutting and frequent collisions with vehicles from the Eungbong Underpass, causing severe congestion. Police expanded the lanes from one to two and installed colored lane markings to guide traffic. As a result, average travel speed increased from 34 km/h to 44 km/h, an improvement of about 29%.
At the Gunjayeok Intersection, Gwangjin-gu, where heavy pedestrian traffic was met with a lack of ground-level crossing facilities, authorities decided to install a crosswalk on the east side. Although requests for such facilities had been made since 2009, the project was delayed due to concerns that installing crosswalks on both east and west sides would worsen congestion up to Gunja Bridge and the Dongbu Expressway. After discussions with relevant agencies, an agreement was reached to install only on the east side, with construction scheduled for completion by June 2026.
At the Jungsangyo Intersection, Seodaemun-gu, unmanned enforcement equipment will be added by December 20 to monitor bus-only lanes in both directions. On Bugaksan-ro, Jongno-gu (Bugak Skyway), section speed cameras will be installed along the 2.7 km stretch from Changuimun Samgeori to Bugak Palgakjeong Pavilion to prevent speeding at night.
Alongside facility improvements, the police are also intensifying crackdowns on violations that are a major source of public complaints, such as lane cutting, reckless driving, and riding motorcycles or Personal Mobility (PM) devices on sidewalks. Recent enforcement results include 305 cases of blocking intersections, 6,202 cases of lane cutting, 19 cases of drunk driving in school zones, and 187 cases of motorcycles on sidewalks, totaling 6,713 violations.
SMPA will continue to accept citizen suggestions throughout this month and plans to maintain thorough traffic enforcement against violations like blocking intersections and lane cutting during rush hours.
Park Jeong-bo, Commissioner of SMPA, stated, “We will diligently address the suggestions we receive so that citizens can feel the improvements, and all feedback will serve as foundational data for future Seoul traffic environment and culture policies.”

jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter