Gyeonggi Province Intensifies Road Cleaning Vehicle Operations Through End of March to Remove Fine Dust from Roads

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 22nd that it has designated the period through the end of March, during the seasonal management period, as an intensive operation period for road cleaning vehicles and will make an all-out effort together with cities and counties to remove road re-suspension dust.

Road re-suspension dust refers to dust accumulated on roads due to vehicle exhaust emissions and tire wear that becomes airborne during vehicle traffic, and is a major factor in the generation of ultrafine particulate matter.

According to the "2017 National Air Pollutant Emissions" announced by the National Institute of Environmental Research, the annual ultrafine particulate matter (PM2.5) generation is 1,776 tons, accounting for approximately 5.4% of total air pollutants. As a particulate matter containing harmful components such as cadmium, lead, and chromium, it is more harmful to the human body than ordinary dust.

Gyeonggi Province plans to intensively operate 222 road cleaning vehicles (14 dust collection vehicles, 58 high-pressure spray trucks, 135 road cleaning vehicles, and 15 electric road cleaning vehicles) distributed to 31 cities and counties with 53 billion won invested since 2011 to reduce road re-suspension dust.

During the intensive cleaning period, dust collection vehicles, high-pressure spray trucks, and road cleaning vehicles will be utilized, and when the temperature is below 5 degrees Celsius, spray truck operations will be suspended due to concerns about road icing.

The intensified cleaning areas are targeted at 86 sections spanning 488km of re-suspension dust intensive management roads designated by each city and county and major urban roads, with operational frequency expanded from 1 to 2 times daily during the intensive operation period.

Meanwhile, the Province began distributing eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) road cleaning vehicles starting in 2019 to reduce fine dust emissions from diesel-powered road cleaning vehicles, and currently 30 vehicles are in operation, including 15 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and 15 electric vehicles.

The Province plans to expand support to a total of 12 billion won for purchasing 54 eco-friendly road cleaning vehicles including 43 compressed natural gas (CNG) cleaning vehicles and 21 electric vehicles this year. This will result in a total of 84 eco-friendly road cleaning vehicles operating in Gyeonggi Province.

Additionally, the Province plans to operate an additional 109 high-pressure spray trucks to reduce dust blowing from roadsides in the event of high concentrations of fine dust such as fine dust advisories, warnings, and emergency reduction measures.

Park Dae-geun, Director of the Fine Dust Countermeasures Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We have implemented the intensive operation period to protect the health of provincial residents by removing accumulated dust on roads and reducing dust blown by vehicle traffic," and added, "We will make efforts to ensure that residents can live in a clean environment by significantly expanding the distribution of eco-friendly road cleaning vehicles."