Introduction of pedestrian-first road

In order to ensure the safety and convenience of pedestrians on roads where roads and sidewalks are not separated, a "pedestrian priority road" will be introduced that designates pedestrian traffic as a priority for vehicle traffic. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security and the National Police Agency announced that amendments to the "Pedestrian Safety and Convenience Promotion Act" and the "Road Traffic Act" will be promulgated on the 11th.

 

This revision was promoted to lay the groundwork for the designation, construction, and management of pedestrian priority roads in the Pedestrian Safety Act and to stipulate pedestrian priority in the Road Traffic Act. The number of deaths from traffic accidents in Korea has been on the decline over the past decade, but the proportion of pedestrians among the total deaths from traffic accidents is 40%, making it urgent to secure the safety of pedestrians.

 

In this situation, the introduction of pedestrian priority roads is expected to contribute to establishing a traffic paradigm centered on people rather than cars and securing pedestrian safety. This is because pedestrians can walk on all parts of the road without avoiding the vehicle in a place designated as a pedestrian preferred road, and vehicles are obligated to take care of slow walking and pause, and to limit speed of 20 km/h when necessary. In particular, pedestrians can be effectively protected on roads such as narrow shopping areas, residential areas, and school roads where pedestrians felt danger from vehicle traffic.

 

In addition, as a result of analyzing six pilot pedestrian priority road projects conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments in 2019, it was confirmed that resident satisfaction improved compared to the project in terms of safety, convenience, and comfort of the walking environment. In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to produce and distribute work handbooks for the designation and creation of pedestrian priority roads until the revised law takes effect, and actively cooperate with local governments to establish facility standards for pedestrian priority roads nationwide. The introduction of pedestrian priority roads will be an important opportunity to promote pedestrian-centered policies in that pedestrians and vehicles are given priority to traffic, said Lee Yong-chul, head of the Ministry of Public Safety. [Source] Korean policy briefing (www.Korea.kr)