“Excuse me! Electric scooters are not allowed here. Please get off!”
Around 12:30 p.m. on the 16th, in front of Hongdae on Red Road in the Mapo District of Seoul. When a man passed by on an electric scooter, a guide from the Seoul city shouted this. However, it was useless. The man turned his head and glanced at the guide dressed in a blue vest for visibility, then actually increased his speed and quickly left the alley.
Starting from this day, the Seoul city and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency designated two areas, Hongdae Red Road and the Banpo academy area in Seocho District, as 'scooter-free streets' and began operations. The hours during which electric scooters are prohibited are from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. In a public opinion survey conducted last October among Seoul citizens, 79.2% of respondents reported having experienced inconvenience caused by electric scooters used by others, prompting the measures.
This is the first implementation of scooter-free streets nationwide. The Seoul city and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received applications from 25 autonomous districts. They then selected Hongdae Red Road and Banpo academy area as scooter-free streets because the pedestrian and vehicular traffic was not separated, which posed a high risk of collisions between scooters and pedestrians. Hongdae Red Road is often crowded due to its narrow street, and the Banpo academy area has many academies for young children and elementary school students, making it a busy area for children.
If caught riding an electric scooter in a scooter-free street, a fine of 30,000 won and 15 penalty points will be imposed according to the Road Traffic Act, and for children's protection zones, a fine of 60,000 won and 30 penalty points will be imposed. However, the Seoul city plans not to impose penalties immediately. They will operate a guidance period for five months and deploy guides to adequately inform scooter users about the new system.
Guides dispatched by the Seoul city held placards on Hongdae Red Road at 12 p.m. that read 'This is a road where personal mobility devices (electric scooters) are prohibited.' Signs prohibiting electric scooter traffic and banners were also installed throughout the street. Park Kang-soo, the head of Mapo District, and around 20 district officials also promoted the 'scooter-free street' on Red Road.
However, despite the banners notifying traffic restrictions in front of Hongdae, people were occasionally seen riding electric scooters. It rained since morning, making the roads slippery, but they rode the scooters at much faster speeds than running. They seemed to be driving close to the speed limit of 25 km/h set for electric scooters.
Upon arriving at his destination, Mr. Kim, 25, who got off the electric scooter, said, “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to ride the electric scooter,” adding, “It’s too far to walk from the subway station, so I ride the scooter. Is it really necessary to prohibit it?”
In the Banpo academy area, no one was seen riding electric scooters around 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The road between the buildings had a sign measuring 3 meters wide and 7 meters long that said, 'Personal mobility device traffic prohibited 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.' A sign indicating it was a prohibited area was also erected nearby. However, electric scooters were strewn carelessly along the roads. In front of Hongdae, electric scooters could easily be found lying on the sidewalk.
Citizens encountered at the two 'scooter-free street' locations showed positive reactions. A 12-year-old elementary school student, Hong, met in the Banpo academy area, said, “After leaving the academy, many people ride scooters on the road. I’ve almost been hit before,” adding, “I think it will be safer if scooters are gone.” A staff member, Yang, 25, at a tourist information center in front of Hongdae said, “Since many foreigners come too, limiting scooter traffic will make it safer during sightseeing.
Shared electric scooter companies expressed dissatisfaction. An official from one company said, “It’s hard to understand why electric scooters are regulated while motorcycles and electric bicycles are allowed.” Meanwhile, a Seoul city official noted, “If we regulate electric bicycles, it would effectively block all bicycle traffic, causing inconvenience to residents.” The Seoul city plans to analyze the effects of operating scooter-free streets and expand to other areas in the future.