Gyeonggi Province Continues to Improve 'Child Protection Zones'... Total Investment of 92.7 Billion Won This Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 9th that while making continuous efforts to create 'safe child protection zones (school zones)' together with 31 municipalities and counties in the province, it will push forward with child protection zone improvement projects by investing a total of 92.7 billion won this year.

The 'child protection zone improvement project' is designed to protect children, who are vulnerable to traffic accidents, from related incidents by expanding various safety facilities such as speeding enforcement cameras within child protection zones.

This year, based on demand surveys by municipalities and counties, plans call for installing 1,266 unmanned speeding cameras, 74 traffic signals, 63 continuous-type speed bumps, ground-level pedestrian signals, pedestrian signal voice guidance auxiliary devices, and more to create safer child protection zones.

To this end, the province plans to allocate a total budget of 92.7 billion won, comprising 46.8 billion won in national funding, 2.3 billion won in provincial funding, and 43.6 billion won in municipal and county funding.

An official from the province stated, "In line with residents' high interest in children's traffic safety, we are closely cooperating with municipalities and counties to implement meaningful child protection zone improvement projects," adding, "We urge drivers to comply with speed limits and traffic signals within child protection zones and refrain from stopping or parking within child protection zones to create a safe commuting environment for children in the province."

As of the end of last year, there were 3,815 child protection zones in the province, accounting for 22.6% of the nation's 16,896 child protection zones, making the province the one with the most child protection zones nationwide.

Meanwhile, 31 municipalities and counties in the province have improved traffic safety facilities including integrated signs within child protection zones and installed 1,059 unmanned speeding cameras, 2,790 traffic signals, 9,300 integrated signs indicating child protection zones, and more.

Regarding unmanned speeding cameras within child protection zones, installations have been made in Yongin with 112 cameras, Seongnam with 71 cameras, Hwaseong with 94 cameras, Hanam with 43 cameras, and others, while consistently enforcing traffic signal violations and reducing vehicle speeds within child protection zones.

As a result of these efforts, traffic accidents involving children within child protection zones in the province decreased by approximately 12% year-over-year in 2020 (123 cases in 2019 → 108 cases in 2020), and no fatal traffic accidents involving children occurred for two consecutive years.