A sign reading “No Electric Scooters” is installed along Banpo Academy Street in Seoul’s Seocho District on November 13, ahead of the city’s planned launch of “scooter-free zones” in Hongdae’s Red Road and Banpo beginning on the 16th. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul’s experiment with “no-scooter zones” has drawn strong public support, with a majority of residents reporting safer and more comfortable pedestrian environments, city officials said Monday.
The pilot program, the first of its kind in South Korea, was launched in May along two busy stretches: the 1.3-kilometer Red Road in Mapo District’s Hongdae area and a 2.3-kilometer section near Banpo’s private academy district in Seocho. Between noon and 11 p.m., electric scooters, e-bikes, and other motorized personal mobility devices are banned from these zones.
A survey of 500 local residents conducted by the city in August found that 69 percent said walking conditions had improved, while more than 75 percent noticed fewer scooters and reduced risk of collisions.
Nearly 98 percent supported expanding the initiative to other high-traffic or safety-sensitive areas, with only 2.6 percent reporting inconvenience due to the ban.
Violators face fines of 30,000 won (US$22) and 15 demerit points, rising to 60,000 won and 30 points in school zones, though police are currently in an advisory phase.
“The findings show clear improvement in pedestrian safety where scooter restrictions were introduced,” said Yeo Jang-kwon, head of Seoul’s transportation bureau. “We will work with the police to expand the program and establish a system for managing pedestrian-scooter safety.”
Electric scooters (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The initiative comes amid growing concern over reckless scooter use, particularly among unlicensed teenagers. According to the National Police Agency, of 35,382 violations for unlicensed personal mobility driving last year, 55 percent involved individuals under 19.
A recent accident in Incheon, where a woman was critically injured by two middle school students riding an electric scooter, has intensified calls for tougher enforcement.
Police said some rental companies may face charges for abetting unlicensed driving, as many allow users to rent scooters using family members’ IDs or by bypassing license verification.
The number of personal mobility accidents has hovered around 2,000 annually in recent years, with 23 fatalities and 2,486 injuries reported last year.
National Police Agency official Kim Ho-seung urged rental platforms to restore the suspended license-verification system and pledged stricter crackdowns. “Companies must take responsibility to ensure scooters are used safely,” he said.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
