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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:16 pm Post subject: A kinda cleanup on sidewalk bikes (again?) |
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A kinda cleanup on sidewalk bikes
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Even a fresh-off-the-boat newcomer to Seoul would find it hard to believe that it�s illegal for motor scooters to zoom down sidewalks.
And long-time residents realize those bikes are part of the zippy pace of the city, responsible for the speedy deliveries of documents, pizzas and Chinese restaurant meals that people have come to expect.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Monday that it is cracking down on scooters speeding down sidewalks because of the danger they pose to pedestrians.
But it�s not a full crackdown. The target will be the scooters that are going too fast or otherwise being crazy.
�This announcement is not a threat that we�ll fine all motorbikers on sidewalks,� said Jang Sam-jong, an officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, �but an attempt to urge and guide them off the sidewalks for the sake of pedestrians� safety.�
In Seoul, delivery motor scooters zigzag from streets to sidewalks to avoid traffic, but police have left them alone, despite an increasing frequency of accidents. About a year ago, the death of a 19-year-old pizza delivery boy sparked controversy, which made pizza franchise Domino�s drop its promise of deliveries within 30 minutes of an order.
But that controversy was over the welfare of the delivery guys on motorbikes. The current crackdown is directed at protecting pedestrians.
According to Seoul police, out of a total of 40,541 traffic accidents last year, about 4,340 cases involved two-wheeled vehicles. A total of 95 people were killed last year due to motorbike accidents, 22 percent of the 429 traffic fatalities last year. Police said 10 percent of the accidents involving motorcycles happened on sidewalks or crosswalks.
The semi-crackdown started Monday and will continue until March 31. Motorcyclists who are caught zooming on sidewalks will be fined 40,000 won ($35) and receive 10 penalty points on their licenses.
� I experienced several spine-chilling experiences due to motorbikes speeding up from behind on sidewalks,� said Park Hyo-tae, 29, who owns a store in Dongdaemun Market selling clothes.
Traffic police will be deployed to 74 locations for the crackdown, including Dongdaemun.
The plan doesn�t please people in businesses that rely on quick deliveries.
�Unless it�s running red lights or speeding, people whose livelihoods hang on deliveries should be excluded from this crackdown,� Park Seong-man, 37, a �quick service� deliveryman told the JoongAng Ilbo. Quick services in Korea deliver just about anything from documents to computers by motorcycles.
�It�s wrong to speed on a sidewalk, alarming pedestrians,� said Kwon Tae-seong, 53, a Chinese restaurant owner in Anguk-dong, central Seoul. �But it�s unfair to regulate bikes on sidewalks because we have to use the sidewalks to deliver food before it gets cold.� |
If it is illegal for them to drive on the sidewalks, I don't see why they allow some of it, but caution others. It'll confuse ppl as to the actual law. |
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Binch Lover
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: A kinda cleanup on sidewalk bikes (again?) |
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�This announcement is not a threat that we�ll fine all motorbikers on sidewalks,� said Jang Sam-jong, an officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, �but an attempt to urge and guide them off the sidewalks for the sake of pedestrians� safety.�
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The semi-crackdown started Monday and will continue until March 31. Motorcyclists who are caught zooming on sidewalks will be fined 40,000 won ($35) and receive 10 penalty points on their licenses. |
What a load of ****. The epitome of the police trying to look like they're doing something when they're actually not doing anything about the problem. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Sure, getting hot food is nice, but so is safety. If they were ALL stopped/punished for violating the law, then EVERYONE would be getting cold food. A rising/falling tide lifts/drops all boats, not just the ones who have something really important to deliver. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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I've never been hit or even come close to being hit by the sidewalk scooter/motorcycle people.
I've ridden my bicycle around Seoul and I've almost been killed many times by cars speeding down alleys trying to make a turn onto a main street without slowing down to see if there are pedestrians.
Or I've almost been hit by cars that park on said sidewalks.
No problems with people on 2 wheels. |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
I've ridden my bicycle around Seoul and I've almost been killed many times by cars speeding down alleys trying to make a turn onto a main street without slowing down to see if there are pedestrians.
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Yeah, that. I was on my way to school riding my bike when just that happened. I was cruising at a good speed on the main road when some knucklehead did just what you described. To avoid a probable collision I slammed the brakes (high end bike with XTR disc brakes that stop on a dime) and flew over the bars. I ended up with a dislocated elbow that caused a fracture. I spent 5 weeks in a cast and another 4 in some robotic looking brace. Needless to say, the driver of the car never blinked an eye and just sped off. At least a coffee shop worker that saw it happen came out to help me. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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40k isn't any kind of deterrent at all, evidently, nor is the threat of points on a license. How about jacking up the penatly to 400k and suspension of the license.
And that utter moron who thinks delivery outfits should be exempted from this? Who does he think is tearing down the sidewalks? The same idiots are also running red lights, going the wrong way on streets, and generally being unconcerned about anything else than getting to their destination. If that moron is so concerned about the food staying warm for the duration of the trip, instead of trying to kill pedestrians on sidewalks, why not improve the delivery buckets on the scooters? |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
| I've never been hit or even come close to being hit by the sidewalk scooter/motorcycle people. |
I've seen people hit. And I've come close to being hit on multiple occasions. I think it depends on the areas you frequent, but in busy places, these things can and do get into accidents. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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People who worry about this should go to Ho Chi Minh for a week and quit bitching.
I'd rather have tiny little scooters going up and down sidewalks then SM5s parking on the sidewalk or Sonata's using their weight to bully other vehicles off the road.
This seems like one of those "attack the people who can't afford cars" laws, as everyone who has ridden a motorcycle of scooter here knows, driving on the sidewalk is sometimes the safest place for you to be. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| byrddogs wrote: |
... Needless to say, the driver of the car never blinked an eye and just sped off. ... |
Yup. Cars are worse. Even just walking as far to the side as I can, I've been tagged in the arm by car side mirrors twice and each time the driver just kept going, looking in the rearview mirror but not stopping. My elbow wasn't broken, but how would they have known that?
The scooter guys get close but usually never tag people, whereas in cars it's like a protective bubble of no accountability. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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What is this attitude of "Oh yeah, well it's worse in -----!"
So... we should just accept mediocrity? We shouldn't strive for improvements? Sure, it's safer for a motorcycle on the sidewalk than on the street sometimes, but it's extremely dangerous for the pedestrians. The answer is NOT allowing motorcycles to use the sidewalk, it's strictly enforcing the laws and making drivers of all vehicles accountable.
I just came back from Tokyo, and it's amazing - the largest city in the world and there were no traffic jams. People didn't drive on sidewalks, cars didn't run red lights - it was ideal. But the attitude I see here is what? We should just accept it and move on? It's impossible to change? If that's the attitude, it's a very narrow-minded, and probably bigoted point of view. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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Damn, 10 people died in sidewalk scooter accidents last year. That's not a shockingly high number in the world of statistics, but that's just from scooters cruising down sidewalks...
Yeah, the delivery services may think it's unfair, but they need to drop the ridiculous services they try to provide. I applaud Domino's for dropping the 30 minute delivery pledge like they did. There's no need for things like documents and computers to be shipped around in such a short time frame. |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Zyzyfer wrote: |
| Yeah, the delivery services may think it's unfair, but they need to drop the ridiculous services they try to provide. I applaud Domino's for dropping the 30 minute delivery pledge like they did. There's no need for things like documents and computers to be shipped around in such a short time frame. |
I have a few students who told me that when they order something (pizza, BBQ chicken etc) and it hasn't arrived in under 15-20 minutes, they'll never use that particular restaurant again. Another told me that he calls every five minutes to ask where they are.
I think it's because people demand these services and won't settle for less.
| Quote: |
What is this attitude of "Oh yeah, well it's worse in -----!"
So... we should just accept mediocrity? We shouldn't strive for improvements? Sure, it's safer for a motorcycle on the sidewalk than on the street sometimes, but it's extremely dangerous for the pedestrians. The answer is NOT allowing motorcycles to use the sidewalk, it's strictly enforcing the laws and making drivers of all vehicles accountable.
I just came back from Tokyo, and it's amazing - the largest city in the world and there were no traffic jams. People didn't drive on sidewalks, cars didn't run red lights - it was ideal. But the attitude I see here is what? We should just accept it and move on? It's impossible to change? If that's the attitude, it's a very narrow-minded, and probably bigoted point of view. |
Not accept mediocrity but not blame the little guy when the entire system is at fault. I don't blame the scooter drives and in fact encourage them to ride on the sidewalks if it means they'll make it home to their wives and families at night. Did you notice that some of them ride rather slowly on the sidewalks? They could go much faster on the street yet they choose not to out of safety concerns. This is the problem.
Anyway, I'm pretty sick of all this Tokyo > everywhere crap. Tokyo is the way it is because it's so expensive that few can afford cars or even commute regularly. Tokyo keeps it's through traffic so much more orderly than other places by making it difficult and expensive to drive, take a train or pretty much use any form of transportation.
Having lived and driven there for a year, I can testify that living in and getting around Seoul is much easier to do in every way, despite being a little less pleasant.
Last edited by myenglishisno on Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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T-J
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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I like having scooters on the sidewalks. Keeps the commute interesting. I also like the fact that police here don't taze people at the drop of a hat. I also enjoy not getting pulled over if I happen to not buckle my seat belt on a short trip to the super or whatnot. Too many people focusing on too many of the wrong things IMHO. But just my opinion. Whatever...
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| myenglishisno wrote: |
People who worry about this should go to Ho Chi Minh for a week and quit bitching.
I'd rather have tiny little scooters going up and down sidewalks then SM5s parking on the sidewalk or Sonata's using their weight to bully other vehicles off the road.
This seems like one of those "attack the people who can't afford cars" laws, as everyone who has ridden a motorcycle of scooter here knows, driving on the sidewalk is sometimes the safest place for you to be. |
Really? Safest place? With no signage or traffic lines. With uneven surfaces engineered for pedestrians and not motor vehicles. And with those silly people thinking that they can just walk around sidewalks here and there.
You really figure that's safe? |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| myenglishisno wrote: |
| Zyzyfer wrote: |
| Yeah, the delivery services may think it's unfair, but they need to drop the ridiculous services they try to provide. I applaud Domino's for dropping the 30 minute delivery pledge like they did. There's no need for things like documents and computers to be shipped around in such a short time frame. |
I have a few students who told me that when they order something (pizza, BBQ chicken etc) and it hasn't arrived in under 15-20 minutes, they'll never use that particular restaurant again. Another told me that he calls every five minutes to ask where they are.
I think it's because people demand these services and won't settle for less.
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Those students are jerks.
That cultural aspect of rushed demand for everything could really use a makeover. You don't need your damn chicken or pizza in 20 minutes. |
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