The speed limit in 20 sections of Seoul will be raised from 50 km/h to 60 km/h.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced this on the 27th in consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The section includes 17 Han River Bridges including Hannam Bridge, Wonhyo Bridge, and Mapo Bridge, as well as 3 general roads including Heolneung-ro Naegok IC – Wirye Tunnel Entrance, Dorimcheon Overpass, and Boramae Overpass, with a total length of 26.9 km.
Since there are no sidewalks accessible to pedestrians in these areas, the risk of safety accidents is low even if the speed is increased, and traffic is relatively smooth, so it is necessary to increase the speed, the city explained.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to start the construction of traffic safety facilities such as traffic safety signs and road surface markings from the end of this month and finish it by the middle of next month, and apply the increased speed limit right away from where the construction is completed.
However, among the bridges on the Hangang River, the existing speed limit is maintained, as the Cheongdam Bridge (speed limit of 80 km/h), which is an automobile-only road, and bridges with a speed of 40 km/h or less, such as Jamsu Bridge, Gwangjin Bridge, and Jamsil Railway Bridge, are excluded from this adjustment.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has decided to flexibly operate the ‘Safety Speed 5030’, which applies the speed limit on major roads to 50 km/h.
The ‘Safety Speed 5030’ is a policy that lowers the speed limit to 50 km/h on main roads and 30 km/h on back roads to reduce pedestrian fatalities. In Seoul, it was applied on December 21, 2020.
However, as a result of a citizen opinion survey in October last year, most of them agreed with the implementation of this policy, but about 90% expressed an opinion that ‘some sections need speed adjustment’, the city said.
The city requested the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to deliberate on changing the speed limit in some sections to reflect the demands of the citizens, and on February 15 this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Traffic Safety Facility Deliberation Committee passed this agenda.
Kim Hak-bae, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Committee, said, “Through close communication and cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, we will make efforts to create a safe and convenient traffic environment by rationally improving sections that require flexible operation of the safe speed 5030.”
Choi Soo-jin, reporter at Hankyung.com naive@hankyung.com
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