Why Songpa-gu is building a dedicated bicycle parking lot at Seokchon Station Exit 6

Seoul's Songpa-gu district announced Sunday it will build a new bicycle parking facility near Exit 6 of Seokchon Station.

The district plans to convert five on-street parking spaces — a roughly 55-meter stretch near Exit 6, where illegal parking is most severe — into a dedicated bicycle parking lot with capacity for about 100 bicycles.

Safety fencing and lane-separation barriers will also be installed to keep vehicle traffic and pedestrian routes strictly apart. The district plans to complete the facility by the end of next month after gathering residents' input.

The project is expected to complement one of the district's flagship initiatives: a plan to transform a 1.5-kilometer stretch of Songpa-daero — from Seokchon Lake intersection to Garak Market intersection — into a walkable street garden by reducing traffic lanes and widening sidewalks to plant trees and flowers.

"Residents and tourists who arrive by bicycle will be able to park at the new facility and then stroll along the street garden on Songpa-daero to reach local attractions and commercial areas such as Seokchon Lake, Songni-dan-gil and Garak Market," a district official said.

Songpa-gu Mayor Seo Gang-seok said the bicycle parking lot will not only ease the parking shortage but also significantly improve pedestrian satisfaction. "We will continue to enhance residents' convenience and the walking environment so that both residents and tourists can safely and comfortably enjoy Songpa as a world-class city," he said.