'Fast and Furious' Electric Kickboard Determined to Exterminate Seoul City

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]
□ Broadcast Date: November 11, 2024 (Mon.)
□ Host: Announcer Lee Hyun-woong
□ Cast: Yang Gyu-seok, head of the mobile device team at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Walking Bicycle Division,

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.
◆ Announcer Lee Hyun-woong (hereinafter referred to as Lee Hyun-woong): Life white book, today we will go to Seoul. Electric kickboards that are common on roads and alleys these days. Adults and students use it a lot, but it is said that pedestrians as well as drivers are experiencing great inconvenience due to dangerous driving or electric kickboards parked anywhere. As a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will operate a "kickboard-free street" for the first time in the country, and I will talk to Yang Gyu-seok, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's walking bicycle and personal doll mobile device team. Hello, team leader.

◇ Yang Gyu-seok, head of the Seoul Pedestrian Bicycle Division (hereinafter referred to as Yang Gyu-seok): Hello. Nice to meet you.

◆Lee Hyun-woong: Why did the Seoul Metropolitan Government decide to designate a distance without kickboards?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: As the number of users of electric kickboards has increased recently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted a survey on the perception of electric kickboards among Seoul citizens. As a result, about 80% of citizens said they had experienced inconvenience from electric kickboards, and 75.5% of them said they had experienced a risk of collision. And 75.6% of citizens said that private rental electric kickboards should be banned, indicating that many citizens are experiencing anxiety and inconvenience caused by electric kickboards these days. Reflecting the opinions of these citizens, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has banned the operation of roads with high concerns about electric kickboard accidents, piloting a "kickboard-free street" to protect citizens' safety.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Paris and Melbourne are said to have already kicked out electric kickboards among overseas cities, can't Seoul take such measures?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: Paris, France and Melbourne, Australia can be kicked out because they manage electric kickboard rental businesses by law, but in Korea, it is difficult to take a "full ban on electric kickboards" because it is currently a free business without relevant laws. That's why the Seoul Metropolitan Government is trying to designate kickboard-free streets only for certain high-risk sections under the Road Traffic Act.

◆Lee Hyun-woong: Then, when will <Kickboard-free Distance> take effect?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: We are currently conducting a demand survey for autonomous districts. We plan to test-run about five roads from December to March next year, including roads with a lot of walking traffic, roads with frequent electric kickboard accidents, and roads with a lot of children's traffic in child protection zones. During the pilot operation period, we plan to focus on guidance and publicity rather than crackdown, and gradually expand <Kickboard-free Street> according to the results of the pilot operation.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: And there are concerns about the safety of drivers as well as pedestrians as a video of speeding by illegally lifting the speed limit on electric kickboards has spread recently, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is strongly responding to this?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: Yes, that's right. Recently, a dangerous demonstration run video of an electric kickboard driving at 200km/h was released on the online community, causing controversy. A video of lifting the speed limit was posted on YouTube, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government immediately asked the Korea Communications Standards Commission to delete the illegal promotion video and requested the National Institute of Technology and Standards of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to designate KC-uncertified electric kickboards and electric bicycles as items to block overseas direct purchases. In addition, safety education is being conducted for citizens and teenagers to raise awareness of illegal driving such as speeding, not wearing a safety hat, driving without a license, and exceeding boarding capacity, and the city, police, and autonomous districts are jointly conducting crackdown and guidance activities in areas where accidents occur, around subway stations, and in areas where traffic is frequent.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Another problem with electric kickboards is illegal parking. You're planning to tow the illegally parked electric kickboard right away?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: Yes, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will tow illegally parked electric kickboards under the Road Traffic Act without any grace time when they are reported as a special safety management measure to relieve inconvenience and anxiety of citizens before the law is enacted. Currently, the general towing zone provides a three-hour towing grace period for autonomous collection of private rental businesses, but it is true that the inconvenience of citizens walking is increasing as the company does not actually collect it on time. Therefore, it will be officially implemented in December after a month of guidance in November, and we expect to expand the direct towing of illegal parking electric kickboards by local government officials to prevent unfair behavior by some towing agencies.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: The citizens must have been really dissatisfied with the kickboard. Lastly, do you have anything to say to the citizens?

◇ Yang Gyu-seok: Seoul's creation of a "kickboard-free street," responding to illegal lifting of speed limits, and cracking down on illegal parking are aimed at creating a safe environment that can protect not only personal mobile device users but also pedestrians and vehicle drivers. In addition, citizens who use electric bicycles and electric kickboards must follow safety rules such as observing the maximum speed and wearing safety helmets, and Seoul will do its best to create a safe walking environment for citizens by systematically operating the legal system, management, and countermeasures.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: This has been Yang Gyu-seok, head of the mobile device team at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Pedestrian Bicycle Division.