현 정부의 자전거관련 정책들에 대해서.

-자전거 정책 개요,

-지방자치단체들의 개별적인 노력 (공용 자전거 대여 등)

-자전거 산업 육성 약속

-국제적인 자전거 축제 주최방안

-BUT 문제점들 -_-

 

[Green Growth: Korea's New Strategy (61)] Making Korea a bicycle-friendly nation

 

 

The following is the 61st in a series of articles focusing on the Korean government's "green growth" strategy. The series will also introduce the increasing efforts of major advanced countries to promote a green economy. - Ed.

 

By Park Min-young

 

Skyrocketing prices and air pollution are suffocating Korea. While there seems to be no easy solution, bicycles are regaining popularity.

The government says it is devoted to making the nation bicycle-friendly.

"Bicycles are a partner of green growth. A green way of life is the call of our times. Reinstating carbon-free bicycles as a major means of transportation is a must," President Lee Myung-bak said in his bi-weekly national address broadcast via radio in April.

The remarks came amid the government's nationwide drive to promote one of its so-called "Green New Deal" projects. Based on the national vision of "low-carbon, green growth," the main points of the project are to establish more bike paths nationwide, improve safety for riders and nurture the related manufacturing industries.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security announced in January that it would complete a 3,114 km bicycle-only network of paths by 2018.

All 12 metropolitan cities and provinces, and 80 districts will participate in this 1.25 trillion won ($956 million) project.

Three-meter-wide paths will run throughout the country. Starting from Haengju Bridge over the Han River, a circular route will pass Incheon west of Seoul, go down along the west coast to Mokpo in South Jeolla Province and complete the circuit via Busan, Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province and Goseong in Gangwon Province.

That circuit will be connected with other bicycle paths that are currently under construction by different local communities.

The government is also pushing for a road development plan to create more space for bikes. Bicycle parking lots will be made available, and some roads will be smoothed out for riders' safety.

For these projects, the ministry plans on investing 124.5 billion won every year until 2018, funded 70 percent from the national budget and 30 percent from local budgets.

This year alone, 69 billion won is earmarked for about 170 kilometers of model cycle lanes.

"The bicycle paths will ... make the use of green transportation more prevalent in our society," said Jeong Chang-seob, assistant secretary of the Administration Ministry.

Officials also expect that the infrastructure projects will create jobs and help residents of less developed areas to vitalize their local business by attracting bike riders.

"We expect that this project will produce ... 8,268 in total," Jeong said.

Support from local administrations

Only 1.2 percent of commutes are done with a bicycle in Korea, in comparison to 14 percent in Japan and 10 percent in Germany. The government aims to raise the percentage to 5 percent by 2012 and 10 percent by 2017.

Some local communities have already joined in the government's efforts to encourage commuters to use bicycles.

Busan city announced on July 14 that it will install bicycle-only cars in the city's metro line number three.

The decision came after research showed that although 32.9 percent of Busan's citizens own bicycles - a percentage nearly two times higher than the nation's average of 16.6 percent - only 1.2 percent cycle to work.

Assuming this is caused by bumpy roads and Busan's many hills, the city's administration decided to designate some subway cars for cyclists.

The pilot project will run from September.

Changwon city in South Gyeongsang Province launched the NUBIJA plan, a public bicycle rental system, last October. The name is an abbreviation for "Nearby Useful Bike, Interesting Joyful Attraction."

One-thousand two-hundred bicycles are placed at 101 NUBIJA terminals in the city so that its citizens can easily have access. As of July 15, about nine months after its launch, more than 22,000 people have registered as members. Nearly 13,000 bikes are picked up every day.

Daejeon is another city that is also running a public bicycle rental system. The city recently showcased its unmanned bike rental system on July 14, which the city co-developed with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

The system has an antitheft device and provides voice guidance services. Small display devices are put on the bikes so that bikers can know how long and how far they have rode the bicycles and also how much energy they have consumed.

The city will install the system in 100 bike parking lots throughout the city and run 1,000 public bicycles.

Jeju city, one of most attractive spots for tourists visiting Korea, announced on July 10 that it will create 370 km of bicycle-only routes throughout the city by 2018. The total cost will be 100 billion won.

Considering the island's rainy weather, the lanes will be laid with special material that helps prevent the bikes from slipping. The surfacing will be a different color from the main vehicle lanes.

"The bike-only routes will not only give convenience to the travelers and many bikers who visit Jeju, but will also minimize air pollution caused by exhaust and improve the city's clean image," said a city official.

Kick-starting bicycle industry

Lee also pledged to boost the domestic bike industry so that it can become one of the world's biggest bike exporters within the next five years.

"When the bike network is completed, the nation will need 10 million to 20 million bicycles. But how deplorable it will be if we have to import all of them," he said, also in his April radio address.

Korea imports more than 2 million bikes annually, mainly from China, the Netherlands and Canada.

Due to many manufacturers relocating overseas to cut labor costs and the importation of cheap foreign products, there are just 20 to 30 domestic companies producing no more than 20,000 bicycles each year.

To support the struggling industry, the government recently announced plans to encourage businesses to produce quality products including high-end mountain bikes, bikes with wireless navigation systems and commuter-style hybrids with a battery-charged motor that kicks in when going uphill.

"I hope to see more and more Korean companies begin to make bicycles soon. They should be able to develop core trend-setting, green technologies and apply them in manufacturing high value-added hybrid bikes for both domestic use and export," Lee added.

International bike festivals

The government is eager to host domestic and international bike festivals.

To start with, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism held the "Seoul Bicycle Festival" last December. More than 2,000 people gathered in Yeouido Park with their bikes on a chilly morning.

Starting from Yeouido, thousands of bikes went over Mapo bridge, passed Mapo and headed toward Gwanghwamun. Turning at Sejongno, the parade continued past Seoul Station, crossed the Han River again over Wonhyo bridge and finally returned to the starting point.

With the help of the police, two traffic lanes were used.

Some unique bikes were at the event: a bike with one wheel half the regular size, a bike ridden while lying down, and a bike with a baby carrier attached.

At a corner of Yeouido Park, a flea market was opened. Participants could receive bicycle repair services at the service center, and exchange bike parts with other participants at the bartering marketplace.

"The festival is aimed to make citizens healthy and decrease the expense of fossil fuels by encouraging the use of bicycles in the community," said Park Byeong-jin, head of the Sports for All Division of the Culture Ministry.

In April, a nine-day nationwide bicycle festival sponsored by the government took place.

More than 30,000 citizens participated in "The Korea Bicycle Festival" which was composed of cross-country race, downtown parades and other events to encourage bike riding.

"The festival is aimed to encourage wider use of bicycles and develop bike industries," said Administration Minister Lee Dal-gon.

The festival began with a cycling race starting at the Olympic Park in southern Seoul, having about 150 racers bicycling off to Changwon through two courses, east and west.

A cycling parade then proceeded from the park to the central part of the city, with more than 5,000 citizens participating. A bicycle industry fair was also held at the venue.

Incheon, Suwon and Jeju also held similar parades and events on the day, and major cities including Jeonju, Gwangju, Daegu, Ulsan and Busan held their own events in time for the arrival of the race.

It is likely that these festivals will turn into annual events.

The Culture Ministry plans on hosting the "Seoul Bicycle Festival" annually, starting next year.

The Administration Ministry also aims to host the "World Bicycle Expo" in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province next year, a "Bicycle race along the four rivers" in 2011 and an international bicycle race, "Tour de Korea" in 2012.

Policies need improvements

Despite the government's efforts, however, many point out that the policies show some significant shortcomings.

The Road Traffic Authority said that the pace of constructing the bicycle-only routes is not keeping up with the increase in the number bikers, leading to many accidents.

Of the 728 kilometers of cycle paths in Seoul, only 123 km are for bikes only.

According to the authority, the number of bicycle accidents increased 37 percent from 7,922 in 2006 to 10,848 last year. The number of people injured or killed riding a bicycle also shot up 38 percent from 8,291 in 2006 to 11,425 last year.

The augmentation is notable, especially considering that the number of car accidents decreased during the same period. Between 2000 and 2008, car accidents decreased by 26 percent while bicycle accidents increased by 71 percent.

The biggest cause of the bike accidents were the bikes crashing with four-wheeled vehicles on main roads or narrow alleys.

Bicycles are classified as cars according to the Road Traffic Act, so bikers have to use the main carriageway instead of the sidewalk when there are no bike-only routes.

A lax attitude toward safety among bikers is another problem.

It is hard to spot bikers wearing helmets in Changwon, the city of NUBIJA, including the city's mayor. Naturally, accidents are increasing the area.

"The head is the first thing that hits the ground at the moment of an accident, so riders should at least wear helmets. The number of cyclists is increasing nationwide, so now is the time to start considering whether wearing helmets should become mandatory," said an official of NUBIJA.

Insurance companies started selling bicycle-linked plans last month, in step with the government's new policies. Many customers, however, say that the products are useless.

"All car insurance plans provide compensation when the car breaks down or gets stolen. It doesn't make sense that bike insurance does not provide any such compensation," wrote a member of the internet community "Jachuljok," which means people who commute on bikes.

Current bike insurance does not offer compensation for theft or damage. It is one of the reasons that fewer than 10,000 people signed up yet.

Insurance companies say that it is hard to find out what had exactly happened to stolen or damaged bicycles because they are not registered like cars are. The companies are worried that some might just subscribe for the insurance after their bicycles are already broken or simply throw away their old bicycles and demand compensation.

"If the insurance plans cover all theft and damage, the fees will have to be more expensive, probably over 100,000 won per year," said an insurance company official.

The average bike insurance premium is currently around 30,000 won per year.

It is not surprising that the nation has little ability to prevent bike thefts.

Many cyclists say that the government should think of a way to prevent bike thefts before making it mandatory to install bicycle parking lots in newly built apartments, referring to the government's announcement on July 13.

According to the government, regular buildings that are to be built from August should dedicate at least 2 percent of the total area (about 20 percent of the parking lot), and apartments at least 5 percent (enough for 1 bicycle per two households) of the area to bicycle parking.

Some noncyclists are also opposed to this new policy. They say that there are not yet that many cyclists in the city, and the space will only take up already-scarce parking space available to motorists.

(claire@heraldm.com)