Wirye Line Tram Tracks Designated as Roads... Traffic Safety Review Procedure Finalized

[Financial News] A compromise plan has been drawn up to designate the Seoul section of the Wirye Line tram tracks as district roads and the Seongnam section as city roads before conducting a traffic safety review. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will first carry out a transportation facility safety inspection, establish safety measures, and then request a review from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
According to the Metropolitan Transport Commission (MTC) under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 28th, a conflict mediation committee met in Seoul this afternoon and approved a compromise plan for the Wirye Line tram construction project. The plan clarifies the procedures for installing traffic safety facilities at intersections and crossings, an issue over which the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had disagreed.
The Wirye Line tram is the first tram to be introduced in South Korea, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is pushing ahead with construction. However, differing interpretations among the relevant agencies over whether the tram tracks should be treated as roads and how far the traffic safety review must go raised concerns that the project could be delayed.
Under the compromise plan, the Seoul Metropolitan Government must designate the tram tracks in its jurisdiction as district roads to meet the review requirements. It will then conduct a transportation facility safety inspection to identify potential traffic accident risks before launch and request a traffic safety review from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency along with safety measures reflecting the results.
Gyeonggi Province and Seongnam-si will designate the tram tracks in the Seongnam section as city roads. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will review safety issues affecting pedestrians and vehicles once the Seoul Metropolitan Government completes the road designation and safety inspection procedures and submits its review request.
After receiving a request from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the MTC reviewed the views of the relevant agencies and related regulations, including the Road Traffic Act, and worked out the compromise plan through two working-level meetings and the conflict mediation committee. If further disagreements arise, the MTC will mediate them, and the agencies involved have agreed to cooperate to ensure the line opens on time.
Kim Yong-seok, chairman of the MTC, said, "As the Wirye Line tram is the first tram to be introduced in South Korea, it must be carefully reviewed to ensure that transportation convenience for residents of Wirye New Town is improved and road traffic safety is fully secured."

[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter