Representatives of four organizations, including the Public Transport Workers' Union Riders Union branch and the Korea Two-Wheeled Vehicle Users Association, hold a press conference Tuesday in front of the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, urging the withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Act enforcement decree and calling for alternative discussions. [Yonhap]
Representatives of four organizations, including the Public Transport Workers' Union Riders Union branch and the Korea Two-Wheeled Vehicle Users Association, hold a press conference Tuesday in front of the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, urging the withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Act enforcement decree and calling for alternative discussions. [Yonhap]

Police agency proposes fines for illegal motorcycle parking

General zones: 30,000 won; school zones: 90,000 won

Small business group warns of chaos in alley commerce without parking infrastructure

Small business groups are pushing back against a government plan to impose fines on illegally parked motorcycles, arguing that enforcement without adequate parking infrastructure will disrupt delivery services and neighborhood logistics. More than 430,000 motorcycles are registered in Seoul, yet the city has only 693 dedicated parking spaces for them.

The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business issued a statement Wednesday opposing a proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Act enforcement decree that the Korean National Police Agency announced last month, calling it "desk legislation that ignores real-world conditions."

The Korean National Police Agency announced the proposed amendment on June 19, establishing new fine standards for illegally parked motorcycles. Under the proposal, fines would be set at 30,000 won ($20) in general zones, 60,000 won near fire department facilities with safety signs and in senior and disability protection zones, and 90,000 won in school zones. Violations lasting two or more hours at the same location would carry an additional 10,000 won surcharge.

In its statement, the federation said: "While we sympathize with the goal of ensuring pedestrian safety, we express deep concern and strong regret over the government's unilateral traffic regulation — one that prioritizes enforcement and punishment without providing even the minimum parking infrastructure needed to park motorcycles legally."

The federation also said alley commerce and small businesses are inextricably tied to delivery services. Amid a severe domestic consumption slump, rapid motorcycle-based delivery and logistics have become essential for survival for small business owners in restaurants, cafes and small-scale distribution, it said.

Blanket enforcement that ignores the nature of commercial districts — where vehicles must frequently stop to load and unload — will paralyze neighborhood logistics and suppress delivery activity, the group warned. "If a new system is created simply to shift the burden onto small business owners and riders, it is obvious the ripple effects will ultimately boomerang back as harm to consumers," the federation added.

The federation urged an immediate halt to the enforcement-focused amendment and called for expanded parking infrastructure.

Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Chairman Song Chi-young said "people's livelihoods are just as important as creating a safe pedestrian environment," adding that the group would "oppose this amendment, which disregards the reality of the small-scale economy, and continue to represent the voices from the field until fundamental infrastructure measures are in place."


hong@heraldcorp.com