By Kim Rahn
Six out of 10 citizens support raising a traffic congestion charge levied against the owners of large buildings, such as department stores and shopping malls, because traffic jams occur on the roads around them, a survey showed Thursday.
The Korean Federation for Environment Movement (KFEM) said its recent survey of 502 adults in Seoul showed 63.9 percent of the respondents agreed that the current charge is too small to alleviate chronic traffic jams that occur in the capital.
The charge system is applied nationwide.
Since the adoption of the system in 1990, it has remained at a flat rate of 350 won per square meter. Local authorities collect the charge and spend it on improving traffic facilities. Last year, Seoul collected 84.3 billion won in traffic congestion charges. Seoul City official Cho Do-hyung said the money is spent on projects such as electronic signs on bus shelters indicating when buses in transit are due, escalators in subway stations and other facilities.
The survey results come as the government considers hiking the charge although businesses oppose the idea.
“The survey showed most Seoul citizens think the charge should be increased. Of those who consented to the idea, 45 percent said 1,000 won per square meter will be reasonable considering rises of consumer prices for the last 22 years,” said a KFEM member.
Another 30 percent of those who support a raise said the charge should be 2,000 won considering other side-effects of traffic congestion such as air pollution, while the rest propose 4,000 won.
“Seoul should spend more to tackle traffic jam and air pollution.
Considering CO2 emissions and other factors, the costs resulting from traffic congestion are very high. Data shows that 46 percent of traffic volume is caused by large-sized facilities with an area bigger than 30,000 square meters. So it is fair for such facilities to fulfill social responsibility for the traffic congestion they cause,” the member said.
According to KFEM, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs’ traffic charge review committee will discuss the issue soon. The Korea Transport Institute under the ministry has earlier proposed three charge increase options of 1,000 won, 2,000 won and 4,000 won.
But a blanket hike of the charge is opposed by building owners who say traffic flow around individual buildings should be considered to establish if some owners are obliged to pay more than others.
“For example, the Euijeongbu branch of Shinsegae Department Store pays the same rate of charge as other Shinsegae branches in downtown even though the streets around it are not congested. It is not right to just increase the charge without examining traffic volume of each facility,” said an official of an association of department stores.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy also said raising the charge will increase the financial burden on businesses amid an economic slump.