South Korea: Seoul plants trees as barriers in traffic accident-prone areas

Seoul, September 10 (IANS): The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to plant about 2,000 large trees to serve as natural barriers in traffic accident-prone areas across the city, city officials said Tuesday.

The city hopes that the natural barriers will increase safety for pedestrians by providing a buffer in the event of traffic accidents.

The plan was announced after the shocking accident on July 1, when a Genesis sedan sped the wrong way on a one-way street near Seoul City Hall and crashed into the sidewalk guardrails, killing nine pedestrians, Yonhap news agency reported.

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

A further 1,950 trees will be planted over the next two years.

Five tree species – zelkova, ginkgo, maple, trifoliate and dogwood – were selected for their robustness and ease of growth in urban environments.

The city explained that large diameter trees are expected to provide better protection against the force of car crashes, ensuring the safety of both pedestrians and drivers.

The city also plans to maintain the branches of such trees to ensure they do not obstruct the view of motorists.

Seoul is also pushing to merge lanes on the road where a fatal accident occurred on July 1 to increase the width of the carriageways, but it has yet to decide whether to plant trees there as natural barriers.