Seoul to plant trees as barriers in high-risk traffic areas

This photo shows a guardrail at the site of the deadly July 1 traffic accident near Seoul City Hall, July 3. Korea Times file

The Seoul city government plans to plant around 2,000 large trees to serve as natural barriers in traffic accident-prone areas across the city, city officials said Tuesday.

The city expects the natural barriers to enhance the safety of pedestrians by providing a buffer in the event of traffic accidents.

The plan was announced following the shocking accident on July 1, when a Genesis sedan darted in the wrong direction on a one-way road near Seoul City Hall and crashed into sidewalk guardrails, killing nine pedestrians.

As part of the plan, the first batch of 50 “sturdy” trees will be planted in accident-prone areas this year, including on traffic islands in central Seoul.

An additional 1,950 trees will be planted over the next two years.

Five tree species — zelkova, ginkgo, maple, triflorum and dogwood — were selected for their sturdiness and ease of growth in urban environments.

The city said that trees with large diameters are expected to provide a greater buffer against the impact from car crashes, ensuring safety for both pedestrians and drivers.

The city also plans to maintain the branches of such trees in order to make sure they don’t obstruct drivers’ vision.

Seoul is also pushing to merge traffic lanes on the road of the July 1 deadly accident to expand the width of the lanes, but it has yet to decide whether to plant trees to serve as natural barriers there. (Yonhap)