Amid the amendment to the Traffic Safety Act that imposes the obligation of the President to manage traffic safety on campus, Pusan National University (PNU) decided to establish its traffic safety system by conducting external services. Accordingly, “Channel PNU” toured the Busan Campus for a week from August 13th to 21st and conducted a survey of school members. As a result, the steep slope of Busan Campus, the complex three-way intersection, and the surge in PM (personal mobility devices) are found to be major factors to be addressed.

According to the “Channel PNU” report on August 30th, the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Traffic Safety Act, which includes roads in schools as “road in the complex,” has been applied since August 17th. Accordingly, the University President, who is the campus administrator, will be obliged to manage campus traffic safety in general. To secure the safety of pedestrians and drivers, the President must post a method of passage within the school based on Article 65, Paragraph 2, No 12 and 13 of the Traffic Safety Act and notify the borough office if an accident occurs on campus. The head of the local government can also identify the safety status of campus roads and recommend supplementation, making it possible to conduct a “double inspection.”

Until now, PNU has been making efforts to improve the walking environment on the Busan Campus, but it has not been enough to prevent disasters such as a pedestrian death in the crosswalk in front of the Humanities Building on June 17th (reported by “Channel PNU” on June 19th, 2024). Since March, PNU has strengthened its crackdown on illegal parking and speeding in school to prevent accidents caused by speeding and steep slopes. Regulations have been established to enable practical dispositions such as caution, warnings, and a one-month ban on regular vehicle registration for cars that have illegally parked, stopped, or above the designated speed of 20km (reported by “Channel PNU” on March 1st). However, there was a limitation because the crackdown target was limited only to vehicles registered with the university. In the 2 months starting in April, 493 cases of speeding have been detected. It has been pointed out that illegal parking and stopping, as well as trickery avoiding the crackdown areas, is prevalent (reported by “Channel PNU” on April 4th, 2024).

■ PNU Head Offices for Transportation Environmental Services

Experts say we need to create a campus traffic environment that guarantees pedestrian safety from a long-term perspective. Hwang Jin-Wook (Prof. of Urban Planning and Engineering, PNU) said, “The biggest problem with PNU’s campus transportation policy is the lack of a master plan with a clear vision and detailed implementation plans. Even if they exist, they are not implemented properly. Be careful, keeping in mind that all areas where pedestrians and vehicles travel together can be potentially dangerous.”

PNU announced that it will come up with a long-term master plan to diagnose and improve traffic problems at Busan Campus in the wake of the death accident. The plan is to hire an external professional service company to establish a traffic safety system in the university and reflect it in the campus master plan. After selecting a company to place a bidding order for the service this semester, the campus transportation environment will be gradually changed from 2025. The Division of General Affairs said, “We will request a transportation service company with specialized knowledge about traffic safety rather than employees of the headquarters to receive a traffic safety evaluation and establish a suitable traffic safety system for PNU.”

The service is expected to reflect the characteristics of the Busan Campus. In the case of the Busan Campus, which is located next to Geumjeongsan, the steep slope is considered a threat to safety. According to a recent analysis of 17 major universities nationwide by Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute, the campus altitude difference at Busan Campus was 76m, the second highest among them. In fact, according to the slope elevation analysis of the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map provided by the Ministry of Environment, it is possible to find inclines above 30 degrees in the Busan Campus.

Looking at the Busan Campus where many pedestrians walk, the slope reached a maximum of 27 degrees downhill on the Jilli Hall-Seonghak Hall and next to the Arts Building, and the road between the Physics Building-Research & Lab Building next to Central Library reached a maximum of 19 degrees. Lim Chae-Hong (Senior researcher at Samsung Traffic Safety Research Institute) said, “The average altitude difference of 17 major campuses is 37m, so Busan Campus is on a considerable hillside.”

In a survey of 153 PNU students conducted by “Channel PNU” from August 13th to 21st, 62 students (40.5%) answered that there were “many slopes” when asked why PNU’s traffic was dangerous. If the slope of the downhill road is steep, there is a “fade phenomenon” in which the vehicle does not stop and is pushed even though the brake is used, which increases the probability of an accident. Choi Jin-Ho (Professor, Korea Road Traffic Authority) said, “It is bound to be dangerous if you follow the downhill road in an area with a steep slope.”

■ Most dangerous in front of Saebyeokbeol Library

Among the Busan Campus, survey respondents responded that the three-way intersection, where the three-way street meets, is perilous. Representative three-way intersections are in front of Saebyeokbeol Library, between the Economics and International Trade Building and Business Building, and behind Moonchang Hall, with 60.1% of respondents, 30.1% and 17.6%, respectively, saying they are dangerous. All three of these places have circular bus stops, which are unpredictable as students who get off the bus immediately cross the roadway and go to the other side. PNU student A (Dept. of Social Studies Education, 23) said, “In front of Saebyeokbeol Library, where circulating buses pass, there is no sidewalk at all, and we have to pass through the roadway, but it is dangerous because there are many cars. In particular, to get to Saebyeokbeol Library, it is necessary to cross the circulating bus station without traffic lights.”

PM traffic volume recently increased rapidly around the Busan campus and is also considered a threat to campus safety. The site of Busan Campus is 98.3 million square meters, the 20th largest in Korea, and has three gates for passenger cars, so there is a lot of traffic. According to the Division of General Affairs, the average number of vehicles passing through the Busan Campus is 5,500 daily. Excluding external vehicles, 6,000 vehicles are registered as in-school vehicles. Circular buses between PNU station on Busan Metro Line 1 and Busan Campus will operate at an average interval of 5-6 minutes, starting with the first train at 5:58 am until 8 pm. If four more buses are added at night, about 180 circular buses travel around the Busan Campus a day.

Unfortunately, traffic congestion at the Busan Campus has intensified with a surge in PM. According to Prof. Choi, the number of PMs passing through PNU is more than three times higher than that of other universities in Busan. It is a good environment to use PM because Busan City supports PM transfer discounts and has activated parking facilities. The problem is that it is difficult to comply with the speed limit on PM when the slope goes down due to the topographical nature of the Busan Campus. Choi said, “The more PM use, the higher the accident rate. The speed limit of PM should be less than 25kmph, but when following the slope, it will exceed the speed limit and go 30 to 35kmph.” Among survey respondents, 48.6% cited PM as the leading cause of threatening traffic safety in schools.

Reflecting these campus characteristics, PNU faces the task of preparing more vital pedestrian-oriented traffic safety rules. Prof. Hwang said, “The overall problem with the Busan Campus is that the environment in which accidents can occur is neglected due to the carelessness of drivers and pedestrians. It is necessary to control the demand for traffic by intentionally causing inconvenience to vehicle traffic.” Prof. Choi emphasized that improving awareness is also crucial because 98.6% of traffic accidents are caused by personal negligence of drivers or pedestrians.

Reporter Choi Yun-Hui

Translated by Seo Ye-Jin