Policy Research
RESEARCH
KOTI - Korea Transport institute
A Study on Transportation Service Analysis and Improvement Strategy in the National Capital Region: Focused on Districts and Corridors
- Date
October 31 2012
- Page(s)
page(s)
Single occupancy vehicle commutes are the principal cause of the chronic traffic congestion in the Seoul metropolitan area. Causing inconveniences to commuters and an increase in economic and social costs, the congestion problem is one of the core factors that undermine national competitiveness. Any policy measures aimed at
resolving this problem should be based on correct understanding of transport conditions in the national capital region. Research has found that the traffic problem in the capital region is related to the unbalanced supply of traffic facilities among its various areas and corridors. Based on this finding, this study suggests the following measures: building a transit-oriented transport system, establishing a travel demand management plan, and ensuring measures that can remove the imbalance among the various areas in the supply of traffic facilities.
Within the capital region, the level of traffic facilities such as roads, railways and buses differs significantly depending on areas; some districts exceed others by three to 10 times in terms of the number of facilities. There also exist big gaps in traffic facilities between major transport corridors. This leads to some commuters taking twice or three times as much time as others in entering Seoul from outer parts of the metropolitan area. The imbalance was found to be related to the income level of the residents: the facilities were generally better in areas with higher income levels.
To address this problem, this study proposes making selective investments focusing on less developed districts and implementing public transport-oriented policies. These measures should replace the traditional traffic investment practices that caused a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in terms of transport benefits. Besides this, study suggests facilitating public transport through transport demand management. The congestion problem cannot be resolved through facility investment only, given that the number of cars is increasing at a rate two times faster than roadways. Therefore, it is critically necessary to manage travel demand. In addition, to improve the operational efficiency of metropolitan traffic systems, this study suggests the following measures: paid parking systems in downtown business districts and industrial complexes, preferential treatment for transit users, expansion of the HOV(High Occupancy Vehicle), HOT(High Occupancy Tolling) lanes, and IT-based TDM
resolving this problem should be based on correct understanding of transport conditions in the national capital region. Research has found that the traffic problem in the capital region is related to the unbalanced supply of traffic facilities among its various areas and corridors. Based on this finding, this study suggests the following measures: building a transit-oriented transport system, establishing a travel demand management plan, and ensuring measures that can remove the imbalance among the various areas in the supply of traffic facilities.
Within the capital region, the level of traffic facilities such as roads, railways and buses differs significantly depending on areas; some districts exceed others by three to 10 times in terms of the number of facilities. There also exist big gaps in traffic facilities between major transport corridors. This leads to some commuters taking twice or three times as much time as others in entering Seoul from outer parts of the metropolitan area. The imbalance was found to be related to the income level of the residents: the facilities were generally better in areas with higher income levels.
To address this problem, this study proposes making selective investments focusing on less developed districts and implementing public transport-oriented policies. These measures should replace the traditional traffic investment practices that caused a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in terms of transport benefits. Besides this, study suggests facilitating public transport through transport demand management. The congestion problem cannot be resolved through facility investment only, given that the number of cars is increasing at a rate two times faster than roadways. Therefore, it is critically necessary to manage travel demand. In addition, to improve the operational efficiency of metropolitan traffic systems, this study suggests the following measures: paid parking systems in downtown business districts and industrial complexes, preferential treatment for transit users, expansion of the HOV(High Occupancy Vehicle), HOT(High Occupancy Tolling) lanes, and IT-based TDM