A rendering of the planned intersection in front of Gocheok Sky Dome at Dongyang Mirae University. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
A rendering of the planned intersection in front of Gocheok Sky Dome at Dongyang Mirae University. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday it will expand crosswalks at nine major intersections this year to reduce the inconvenience of pedestrians having to take long detours or wait through multiple signal cycles.

Diagonal crosswalks will be newly installed at three high-traffic locations — Gocheok Sky Dome, Mugyo-dong and Guro Digital Complex — while disconnected crossing segments near Nowon Station and Balsan Station will be linked. The city plans to complete all nine projects by year's end to create a safer and more convenient pedestrian environment that residents can feel directly.

The core aim of the project is to shorten pedestrian routes so people can reach their destination in a single signal cycle, while making foot traffic through intersections safer and more efficient.

The benefits of diagonal crosswalks in convenience and safety have been confirmed by objective data. According to a Seoul Metropolitan Government analysis of diagonal crosswalk expansion effects published last year, the average walking distance fell by 5.6 meters after installation and vehicle-pedestrian accidents dropped by 27.3 percent. Pedestrian accidents caused by vehicles turning at intersections fell by 44.8 percent, confirming that the crosswalks improve not only crossing convenience but also overall traffic safety.

The nine sites selected for crosswalk expansion this year are the Dongyang Mirae University intersection in front of Gocheok Sky Dome, the Mugyo-dong intersection near Cheonggyechang Plaza, the Highend intersection at Guro Digital Complex, the Nowon Station intersection, and the Grand Mart intersection in Gangseo-gu, among others.

Five of the nine sites will receive new diagonal crosswalks allowing pedestrians to cross in any direction in a single signal cycle, while the remaining four will have their U-shaped detour routes upgraded into complete rectangular crossing networks.

Diagonal crosswalks will first be installed at five high-pedestrian intersections. A prime example is the Dongyang Mirae University intersection in front of Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu. The area sees heavy student foot traffic daily, and crowds of spectators pour in all at once after baseball games or major events, repeatedly causing long waits at crossings and congestion on sidewalks.

The city will install a diagonal crosswalk at the Dongyang Mirae University intersection so pedestrians can travel the shortest possible distance in a single signal cycle without waiting through multiple lights. The change is also expected to disperse the crowds that gather on sidewalks and around crosswalks after events.

Four additional diagonal crosswalks will be added at locations that see heavy foot traffic from office workers during lunch hours and evening rush hours: the south and north sides of Mojeon Bridge near Cheonggyechang Plaza, the Highend intersection at Guro Digital Complex, and the Geoyeo Life apartment complex intersection in Songpa-gu.

Four intersections with high public transit transfer demand will also have previously disconnected crossing segments newly linked to reduce detour walking. At the Nowon Station intersection and the Grand Mart intersection in Gangseo-gu near Balsan Station — both heavily used by subway commuters — segments currently lacking crosswalks will be connected.

Once completed, subway users and visitors to nearby commercial areas will no longer need to walk around intersections, and transfer accessibility between subway stations and bus stops is expected to improve.

The city plans to push ahead swiftly with the crosswalk expansion project, connecting pedestrian routes across the city, and aims to complete all nine sites by the end of this year.

Yeo Jang-gwon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's transportation bureau, said the city would "proactively identify inconveniences on the ground so that pedestrians can take the shortest and safest routes, and build a pedestrian environment befitting a city of exceptional quality of life."


ikson@heraldcorp.com