Governor Oh Young-hoon and transportation experts conduct an on-site inspection of the Seogwang-ro BRT section.
Prioritize safety and inconvenience for residents, then proceed with the remaining sections, including Donggwang-ro.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province decided to promote the Donggwang-ro BRT upgrade project after establishing improvement measures to resolve safety issues and inconveniences to residents in the Seogwang-ro Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) section.
Governor Oh Young-hoon visited the Gwangyang intersection area with a traffic expert at 8:00 AM on the 27th and personally inspected the section where conflicts between buses and regular vehicles were occurring, and also asked citizens for their opinions on the spot.
○ In this section, buses change lanes abruptly from lane 1 to lane 4, which has been cited as a cause of traffic congestion.
○ Governor Oh emphasized, “The Jeju-style BRT upgrade project has shown clear results in increasing the speed of public transportation and enhancing convenience, but it should not be done at the expense of the safety or inconvenience of the residents.” He added, “Even if it takes more time, the BRT project will be able to fully take root when we listen to the voices of the residents and resolve their inconveniences.”
Jeju Island had originally planned to fully implement the Donggwang-ro BRT upgrade project starting in September, but inspected the Seogwang-ro BRT improvements for two months to resolve any inconveniences.
○ As a result of the inspection, it was determined that although traffic flow has improved in some ways, such as by allowing U-turns, improving the signal system, and reorganizing intercity bus routes to reduce the number of buses on the roadside, it is not yet at a satisfactory level.
○ In particular, it was confirmed that additional improvements are needed as traffic congestion occurs when buses suddenly change lanes to make right turns at Gwangyang Intersection and Orao Intersection.
○ Transportation experts suggested that lane operation needs to be improved and the signal system supplemented to ensure smooth communication between buses and general vehicles in the Gwangyang Intersection area.
○ Jeju Island is reviewing measures to strengthen traffic safety, including installing a bus-only right-turn lane in this section.
The Seogwang-ro BRT section, which opened in May, achieved a 42% increase in public transportation speed (from 10.8 to 15.4 km/h) and a 47% improvement in general vehicle speed (from 12.6 to 18.5 km/h).
○ With the introduction of island bus stops, sidewalk encroachment was reduced by 95%, 120 street trees were preserved, and bus ridership increased by 10.55% compared to the previous year.
Since its opening, Jeju Island has actively collected feedback from residents through various channels, including briefing sessions, on-site monitoring, and complaint filing. Based on these feedback, the province has implemented 22 improvement measures in stages, including improving the boarding gate guidance system, improving directional signage, allowing U-turns at the Korea Hospital intersection, and adjusting express bus routes.
Jeju Island is operating a ‘Jeju-style BRT Advanced Project Stabilization Task Force (TF)’ comprised of experts, civic groups, and resident representatives, and is continuously discussing improvement plans for the Seogwang-ro BRT section and actively reflecting voices from the field by expanding various channels for collecting opinions, such as online platforms and resident briefing sessions.
○ Based on the experience from the Seogwang-ro section, the plan is to build a safer and more convenient system for the remaining sections, including Donggwang-ro (2.1 km), Doryeong-ro (2.1 km), and Nohyeong-ro (3.3 km).
○ The Jeju BRT Advanced Project is a large-scale project with a total investment of KRW 318 billion from 2023 to 2026, and aims to improve citizens' mobility and alleviate traffic congestion through public transportation innovation.