"Fewer Traffic Accidents, Cracking Down on Cutting In" Seoul Police See Clear Results from Traffic Improvement Drive

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) announced that, as a result of a large-scale traffic environment improvement project launched late last year, the total number of traffic accidents across Seoul fell by 4.5%. By focusing enforcement on blocking the intersection and illegal lane cutting at major intersections, officers detected around 10,000 violations. More than 8 out of 10 citizens rated the project positively.
SMPA stated on the 16th that its citizen-participation traffic policy, the "Seoul Traffic Re-Design Project," led to a 4.5% reduction in overall traffic accidents citywide. Accidents involving motorcycles decreased by 6.8%, those involving personal mobility devices (PM) by 26.9%, and drunk-driving accidents by 16.7%.
Starting November 3 last year, SMPA has been carrying out the project in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Autonomous Police Commission, and other related agencies to improve both the traffic environment and overall traffic culture. From November 10 to December 31 of the same year, it received 2,315 citizen proposals on how to address risk factors and inconveniences in the traffic sector.
An analysis of the proposals showed that 1,762 cases (76%) concerned the traffic environment, including road design, facilities, and signal operations, making it the largest category. This was followed by 412 cases (18%) related to traffic culture, such as enforcement and congestion relief, and 141 cases (6%) suggesting other traffic improvement ideas.
Police incorporated 1,198 proposals (52%) into on-site measures. At the Gyeongin Expressway Entrance Intersection in Yeongdeungpo District, adjustments to the signal system improved the average travel speed from 10 km/h to 22.3 km/h, while tailback and blocking-the-intersection issues were resolved at intersections in the Gaepo-dong area of Gangnam District.
In a citizen survey, 522 out of 608 respondents, or 86%, evaluated the Re-Design Project positively. The main reason cited was "good feedback" (69%).
Enforcement to establish traffic order was carried out in parallel. Police conducted intensive crackdowns on blocking the intersection and illegal lane cutting at major intersections, sidewalk riding by motorcycles and personal mobility devices (PM), and drunk driving on routes to school within school zones, detecting a total of 10,954 violations. This represents a 103% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
By type of violation, there were 9,017 cases of illegal lane cutting, 423 cases of blocking the intersection, 278 cases of motorcycles riding on sidewalks, and 1,236 cases of drunk driving. Police explained that large-scale drunk-driving checkpoints on major roads such as around Gangnam Station helped enhance the effectiveness of enforcement.
In addition, police conducted more than 160 traffic safety campaigns with participation from the Green Mothers' Association, the Model Drivers' Association, and local residents, working to foster a culture of compliance with traffic laws.
SMPA plans to continue traffic improvements and enforcement this year, focusing on blocking the intersection at high-demand junctions and sidewalk riding by motorcycles and PMs.
SMPA Commissioner Park Jeong-bo said, "The goal of firm traffic enforcement is not enforcement itself, but to create a traffic culture in which everyone is considerate of one another and feels at ease on the road," adding, "We hope to build a traffic environment and culture in Seoul that can serve as a standard for the Republic of Korea (South Korea)."
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter