Dark Alleyways Reborn as Bright, Safe Streets

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jeong Jun-sung] Suwon City announced on the 16th that it has created 'Safe Return Home Routes' at 6 locations including areas around Homaesilchon Elementary School in residential-dense areas.

The 'Safe Return Home Route Creation Project,' aimed at crime prevention and improving safety infrastructure, improves the environmental and safety infrastructure of intensive patrol zones designated by Suwon South, Central, and West Police Precincts to create bright and safe streets. Intensive patrol zones are safety-vulnerable areas with sparse foot traffic at night.

From April to August, the city invested 300 million won (150 million won each from provincial and city budgets) and carried out projects at 6 locations: △residential-dense areas around Homaesilchon Elementary School in Homaesilchon-dong (715m) △residential and commercial-dense areas around Hwa-hong Community Center in Yeonghwa-dong (360m) △area around Seongyeong Library in Haengung-dong (360m) △residential and commercial-dense areas adjacent to Ajou University in Uman 2-dong (620m) △residential and commercial-dense areas adjacent to Samsung Electronics in Maetan 3-dong (360m) △residential and commercial-dense areas adjacent to Mangpo Middle School in Mangpo 1-dong (640m).

At the 6 Safe Return Home Routes, the city installed 48 logo projectors (devices that project specific logos or text on the ground, a compound word of logo and projector), 774 solar road studs (devices that store solar energy during the day and emit light at night), and 5 solar-powered LED signage. Additionally, anti-slip pavement was applied to a total of 2,740 square meters.

Using logo projectors, the city projects messages such as 'Walk with confidence on the Safe Return Home Route' and 'Safe Suwon, our neighborhood's Safe Return Home Route' along with colorful flower images on dark alleyways, and installs solar road studs on local roads where distinction between roads and sidewalks is unclear.

The city also installed LED signage informing people about the 'Safe Return Home Route' in various locations and applied anti-slip pavement to child protection zones and sloped alleyways.

The city began the Safe Return Home Route project in 2019 and has created Safe Return Home Routes at 19 locations to date.