One Day Traffic Jams May Be Bad Memories

Koreans would love to top the world in almost everything that measures an advanced society, but recording the world's highest traffic accident rate for 10 years straight until the early 1990s is seen as a shameful mark. Seoul, Korea's capital city, is notorious for its traffic congestion and the accompanying waste of time and money.

That may change. The government has said it will spend 8.2 trillion won ($6.4 billion) by 2020 to establish the Intelligent Transportation Systems nationwide. Local governments and public organizations welcome the plan; they are seeking to cut logistics costs, amounting to several trillion won a year.

Intelligent Transportation Systems is a collective name for a broad range of diverse technologies used to relieve traffic congestion. A good example can be found at the new Incheon International Airport, which is to open at the end of this month. Along the roads and in the buildings and terminals of the new air transport hub automatic traffic control boards display information, such as parking space availability and road conditions. A traffic management system monitors the roads surrounding the airport like the back of one's hand, guiding drivers to the least obstructed routes.

The automatic toll collection system set up in Seongnam, Cheonggye and Pangyo toll gates are an early indication of the degree of efficiency a nationwide ITS would bring. Some 14,000 cars pass through the toll gates daily without stopping, because the system collects tolls automatically.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation estimated that the nationwide intelligent transportation systems will save the nation 35 percent in transportation facility construction costs, enhance traffic flow by 20 to 30 percent, cut the rate of traffic accidents by 40 percent and reduce environmental pollution by 10 percent.

"Korea's Intelligent Transportation Systems is still in its fledgling stage," said Yang Gueng-hwan, vice chairman of ITS Korea, which was set up by public and private corporations to promote ITS in the country. "It is urgently needed to integrate Intelligent Transportation Systems established separately by the central government, local governments and public corporations."

by Park Bang-ju / Kim Hyo-jin