Illegal parking enforcement to ease near traditional markets
The city of Hanam will open its public parking lots free of charge and ease parking enforcement near traditional markets during the Chuseok holiday to improve convenience for visitors and residents and boost local commerce.
The free parking period runs Thursday through Sunday. A total of 29 lots — 11 off-street facilities with 930 spaces and 18 on-street lots with 695 spaces — will be open at no charge, for a combined 1,625 spaces.
Off-street lots will be available free either around the clock or during nighttime hours, depending on each facility's operating conditions. The 11 resident-priority parking zones will be free from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lots already free on a permanent or public-holiday basis will continue under their existing arrangements. In lots that offer monthly passes, only spaces not designated for pass holders will be opened free of charge, to avoid inconveniencing subscribers.
The city will also ease enforcement of illegal parking and stopping in select stretches near traditional markets during the same period. Fixed and mobile CCTV-equipped patrol vehicles, normally used for enforcement, will be deployed more flexibly. On Chuseok day itself, roadside parking on the shoulder opposite the registry office will be permitted for visitors paying their respects at Maru Park.
Violations that seriously impede pedestrian safety or traffic flow will be enforced without exception. Prohibited zones — including crosswalks, areas within 10 meters of bus stops, within 5 meters of fire hydrants, within 5 meters of intersection corners, school zones and sidewalks, collectively designated as the "six major illegal parking and stopping prohibition zones" — as well as double parking and parking on single-lane roads, are excluded from the relaxed enforcement.
Before the holiday, the city will conduct advance inspections of parking control facilities and key sites, and will assign enforcement officers to special duty shifts to handle traffic complaints and provide on-site guidance.
Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae said he hoped the free parking and relaxed enforcement measures would ease the burden on holiday visitors and residents and help revitalize traditional markets and neighborhood commercial areas. "I ask everyone to actively cooperate in maintaining parking order so that all can enjoy a safe and comfortable Chuseok," he said.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
