Suwon Launches 'Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System' for Full Operation Next Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon City announced on the 6th that 210 emergency patients have been transported to hospitals by ambulance using the 'Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System' introduced in February.

The Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System tracks ambulance locations via GPS (Global Positioning System) through the Suwon City Safety Integrated Center when transporting emergency patients to hospitals, automatically providing a green signal when the vehicle enters an intersection. The Safety Integrated Center guides emergency vehicles along the optimal route to reach the hospital as quickly as possible.

Using the Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System has reduced patient transport time to less than half the original duration.

The average travel time to cover 1 kilometer is 1 minute 27 seconds, a 56.3% decrease compared to when the system was not operated (3 minutes 20 seconds).

With the Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System in operation, emergency vehicles can reach Ajou University Hospital and Catholic University St. Vincent's Hospital within 10 minutes from anywhere in Suwon. The system has successfully completed a trip from Deltaplex in Seosu Suwon (Gomsaek-dong, Gwonseon-gu) to Ajou University Hospital (Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu), a distance of approximately 11 kilometers, in 9 minutes 20 seconds.

Suwon became the first in the nation to establish emergency vehicle priority signals across the city using a 'center-based approach'.

The 'field-based approach' operates by installing emergency vehicle transmitters, signal controllers, and wireless base stations at intersections, allowing emergency vehicle priority signals to function only at intersections where wireless base stations are installed. However, the 'center-based approach' built by Suwon using the Safety Integrated Center infrastructure can control signals at all intersections connected to the Safety Integrated Center.

The 'Center-based Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System' requires lower system construction costs compared to the field control approach and offers budget savings because additional equipment is not needed when expanding priority signal sections.

The Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System received nationwide attention, including selection as an 'Active Administration Best Practice' by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Benchmarking by local governments across the nation continues.

Suwon signed a 'Technology Sharing Memorandum of Understanding' with Ulsan Metropolitan City to transfer system construction technology. Officials from approximately 10 local governments and organizations, including Busan Metropolitan City, Hwaseong City, and Yeoju Fire Station, visited the Safety Integrated Center to benchmark the system.

Suwon plans to conduct a pilot operation of the Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System through this year and then fully implement the improved system starting next year.

A city official said, "The Emergency Vehicle Priority Signal System is a system that can save the precious lives of emergency patients where every second counts," and added, "We will actively share the related technology with other local governments."

The official further urged, "When the system operates, temporary vehicle congestion is inevitable, so we ask citizens to cooperate actively despite minor inconveniences."