The Seoul city government said Tuesday it will install guardrails made from steel along accident-prone roads to protect pedestrians following a deadly car crash that left nine people dead in July. The decision was part of a set of safety measures that call for spending 30.8 billion won (US$23 million) by next year to overhaul about 400 road points, including installing steel protective guardrails at 98 locations. The plan comes after the deadly car crash near Seoul City Hall in which a sedan, driven by a 68-year-old, darted in the wrong direction on a one-way road near City Hall before crashing into sidewalk guardrails, striking pedestrians and ramming into two other cars. The city has since sought to beef up pedestrian guardrails and take other safety measures. The protective fences are capable of protecting pedestrians even in the case of a crash with an 8-ton vehicle at 55 kilometers per hour at a 15-degree angle. The fences currently set up were mostly aimed at preventing jaywalking, and are deemed too fragile to protect pedestrians from car crashes, according to city officials. In addition, LED road signs that read "no turn" will be set up on one-way roads where drivers are prone to confuse directions for better visibility. Large flowerpots and bollards will also be planted in open spaces, such as near Gwanghwamun Square, to prevent car entry in the first place. City officials said they have already completed setting up the protective guardrails at the site of the accident, as well as installing additional road signs to prevent backward driving there. Source: Yonhap News Agency
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