By Kim Rahn
Citizens cycling to subway stations will receive subsidies as part of Seoul City’s effort to encourage bicycle use.
Free bike rentals will also be available by making use of abandoned bicycles.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its revised bicycle policy Wednesday to deal with the inconvenience citizens have experienced for the last two years since the city started making a total of 88.3 kilometers of bicycle-only lanes.
To boost bike use, the city plans to give about 200-300 won subsidies to people who ride between their homes and subway stations, starting August.
Kiosks have been installed at bicycle parking lots near Sindorim Station and Suyu Station for the pilot program.
“Citizens can cycle from home to the station, park there, have the kiosk scan their traffic card, and take the subway to work or school. On their return, they can retrieve the bikes from the kiosk and the subsidy will be credited to their cards. They can use the money later for buying goods or taking public transportation,” a city official said.
The service will be expanded to six bike parking lots in Seoul next year. City officials are also talking with nearby metropolitan governments and Korail (Korea Railroad Corp.) to link the service to buses and subway lines going beyond the city border.
Free rental bikes will also be available from the first half of this year. Citizens will be able to use free bikes in their residential areas as well as to and from nearby subway stations, and are required to return them at community centers or stations.
“We plan to use abandoned bicycles for the service. We estimate 7,300 bikes are abandoned per year and 800 of them may be eligible for reuse,” the official said.
The city will also mend bike lane management systems, as some lanes are currently often blocked by illegally parked cars and riders sometimes risk accidents with cars driving too close beside them.
At intersections or on roads near large malls where bike riders frequently face vehicles blocking the cycle paths, the lanes will be moved from the current car lanes to sidewalks.
Car parking will be allowed on some bike lanes in residential districts short of parking lots during designated times.
The city is also pushing for lower speed limits on roads with cycle lanes, in ongoing talks with police.
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