Ikgye-dong Shopping District Center to Become Testbed for Pedestrian Safety Technology Development

[Suwon Ilbo=Seo Dong-young Reporter] Suwon City announced on the 27th that it was selected as a testbed site after submitting the Ikgye-dong Shopping District Center to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Intelligent Information Technology-Based Pedestrian Accident Prediction and Risk Factor Improvement Technology Development Testbed Initiative."

The Ikgye-dong Shopping District Center in Paldal-gu is adjacent to public facilities and has densely concentrated commercial facilities with frequent vehicle traffic. Additionally, with many structures obstructing driver visibility, there is a high risk that drivers may not notice pedestrians.

Taking the selection of the testbed as an opportunity, the city plans to develop technology to predict pedestrian accidents and improve risk factors by utilizing intelligent information technology (combining artificial intelligence with data utilization technology). The project will run from next month through May of next year.

A "testbed" refers to a space (system) where the performance or effectiveness of new technology, products, or services can be tested.

The city plans to derive measures to improve pedestrian accident risk factors at the Ikgye-dong Shopping District Center, establish a concrete "Pedestrian Safety Assurance Plan" by the first half of next year, and apply for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Pedestrian Environment Improvement District Project." From 2022 onwards, the city plans to launch pedestrian environment development projects based on pedestrian safety research and development results.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Pedestrian Environment Improvement District Project is a comprehensive district-wide improvement project for areas with high pedestrian traffic accident risks, consisting of ▲installation of vehicle speed reduction facilities ▲designation of one-way traffic ▲construction of new sidewalks.

A city official stated, "We will transform the Ikgye-dong Shopping District Center into a street where citizens can walk safely," and added, "We will continue to steadily establish traffic safety facilities centered on care."