Mayor meets with Hwado, Sudong residents to push for toll reduction
Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyeon-deok met with Lee Dong-eun, chief of the Pocheon-Hwado Expressway operating company, at his office on Wednesday to discuss ways to ease the toll burden at Dalmoe IC and formally request a fare reduction.
The Dalmoe IC–Hwado Junction stretch of the Pocheon-Hwado Expressway spans just 2.85 kilometers, yet carries a toll of 1,300 won — a rate residents have long complained is disproportionate to the distance traveled.
The burden grows when drivers use two or more connected expressways, as the base fare for each route is charged separately, leaving short-distance users paying a relatively higher share.
The city has been reviewing options to reduce the toll to ease the financial strain on residents of Hwado-eup and Sudong-myeon, the primary users of Dalmoe IC, and to improve expressway access.
The push has gained local momentum, with 7,750 residents of Hwado-eup and Sudong-myeon recently submitting a petition calling for a toll reduction at Dalmoe IC.
Mayor Choi met Wednesday with Lee alongside community representatives from Hwado and Sudong to convey residents' concerns and formally request practical measures to ease the toll burden, including a fare cut.
"The toll at Dalmoe IC is high relative to the distance traveled," Choi said. "We ask that you give full weight to the voices of local residents and actively consider practical relief measures, including a toll reduction."
Meanwhile, the city has already petitioned the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to expand coverage of the existing short-distance connection discount in the near term, and over the longer term to introduce a transfer system that would prevent base fares from being charged twice when drivers use connected expressways.
The city said it plans to continue working with the Pocheon-Hwado Expressway operator and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to develop measures that reduce the toll burden at Dalmoe IC and improve the broader fare system.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
