Osan Mayor Jo Yong-ho Requests Increased Wide-Area Bus Service at Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee

Osan Mayor Jo Yong-ho visited the Metropolitan Wide-Area Transportation Committee (hereafter MWTC) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 25th to hold talks and address key transportation issues in Osan City.

At the meeting, Osan Mayor Jo Yong-ho, MWTC Chairman Kim Yong-seok, and key officials including the director of the Wide-Area Transportation Policy Division and the director of the Wide-Area Bus Division attended.

Mayor Jo stated, "During the development of Segyo districts 1 and 2, wide-area transportation improvement measures were inadequately reflected, causing transportation inconveniences across Osan. With the full move-in to Segyo 2 District and large-scale urban development projects planned for Segyo 3 District, proactive expansion of the wide-area transportation network is essential," and added, "I hope the MWTC will actively cooperate in developing measures to resolve commuting transportation difficulties for citizens."

In response, MWTC Chairman Kim Yong-seok said, "The MWTC is also working to develop improvement measures including on-site inspections," and replied, "We will carefully review the matters provided by Osan City. I believe we can find solutions if we work together."

During the main discussion, Mayor Jo requested active support for key issues including △increased wide-area bus runs during commuting hours △expansion of the business cost ratio for the Segyo 3 District wide-area transportation improvement project.

Regarding increased wide-area bus service during commuting hours, Osan City emphasized the need for additional runs during peak hours on a total of four routes: MWTC routes 1311 and 1311B serving Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, and Gyeonggi Province routes 5300 and 5200.

Wide-area buses 1311 and 1311B experience insufficient supply compared to commuting demand during peak hours. This has resulted in cases of buses passing stops without stopping due to full capacity. It was found that 5 to 10 instances of buses passing stops without stopping due to full capacity occur daily during commuting hours.

Mayor Jo stated, "It is urgent to expand demand-responsive bus runs during commuting hours to alleviate transportation inconveniences for citizens," and emphasized, "If we increase runs by 2 to 4 per route, we expect significant relief from congestion during commuting hours."

Mayor Jo also requested support in strengthening the wide-area transportation improvement plan for the Segyo 3 public housing district (hereafter Segyo 3 District) and expanding the business cost ratio.

Segyo 3 District, with an area of approximately 4.3 million square meters, is planned to accommodate 33,000 households and approximately 75,000 residents. However, the business cost ratio for the project operator related to the wide-area transportation improvement plan for Segyo 3 District is at 7.6%. Compared to other districts where the average business cost ratio for project operators in wide-area transportation improvement plans is 15-20%, and considering the development scale and transportation demand, Segyo 3 District's business cost for wide-area transportation improvement measures falls well below average.

With various wide-area transportation improvement measures planned for Segyo 3 District, including installation of underground overpasses at major intersections, securing sufficient business funds is critical. Mayor Jo maintains that realizing appropriate business costs for wide-area transportation improvement measures is essential for Osan's development.