Yangcheon-gu is undertaking a traffic safety facility upgrade across 21 children's protection zones — including the area around Seoul Galsan Elementary School — to prevent traffic accidents involving children and create safer school commute environments, the district said.
The project follows the results of the 2025 Seoul Metropolitan Government survey on traffic safety conditions in children's protection zones. It focuses on bringing traffic safety facilities in line with actual on-site conditions, reducing driver confusion and raising awareness of the zones.
The district plans to complete the main upgrades before the August back-to-school period, when children's foot traffic on roads increases significantly.
The 21 zones targeted include Seoul Galsan Elementary School and other schools across the district. As a first step, the district will install 1,200 meters of new road markings and 11 new safety signs to clearly indicate where each protection zone begins and ends.
The district will also align road markings with the officially designated zone boundaries, so drivers can tell at a glance whether they have entered a protection zone.
Facilities to deter illegal parking and stopping within the zones will also be significantly upgraded. The district will repaint 6,400 meters of no-parking road markings and replace 20 worn or damaged safety signs, making no-parking sections easier for drivers to identify.
Illegal parking and stopping in children's protection zones can obstruct sightlines for both drivers and pedestrians and make it harder to react when a child steps unexpectedly into the road. By clearly marking no-parking zones, the district aims to deter unauthorized stopping and secure safe walking space for children.
To strengthen nighttime traffic safety, the district is replacing aging traffic signs with solar-powered illuminated models. This year, more than 60 locations — including integrated safety signs within children's protection zones — will receive the new signs, allowing drivers to identify protection zones after dark.
Speed cameras, pedestrian guardrails and other traffic safety infrastructure will also be expanded along school routes. Traffic safety guides are deployed on routes used by lower-grade elementary school students during morning and afternoon commutes to help children travel safely. Currently, 38 guides are stationed at 16 elementary schools, accompanying children along their routes and providing safety guidance at high-risk points.
"Children's protection zones are the most fundamental safety net protecting children's daily lives," Yangcheon-gu District Mayor Lee Gi-jae said. "We will continue to carefully maintain traffic safety facilities within the zones and push forward with pedestrian-centered traffic reforms to make Yangcheon-gu a safe place to raise children."
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