Incidents and Accidents Following Heavy Snowfall
Four times more snow than Gangbuk… Seocho-gu 13.7㎝
The effect of snow removal of the’back north’ in Seoul is insignificant
To make matters worse, overlapping with the work hours
There are many rear-wheel drive imported cars that are vulnerable to the eyes
Seoul apology “We will prepare measures for snow removal”
A citizen crosses a crosswalk near Samseong Station in Seoul on the afternoon of the 6th when the heavy snow warning went into effect throughout Seoul. yunhap news
The Korean Peninsula froze completely due to the’arctic cold’ that began on the 6th and reached its peak on the 8th. In recent years, the subway has stopped due to a rare heavy snowfall and cold wave, and traffic accidents on the way to work have also followed in various parts of the country. In particular, in Seoul on the evening of the 6th to 7th, a serious traffic congestion occurred on the way home from work, causing many citizens to suffer inconvenience. There were several cases that the length of work had increased to three or four hours, which usually took 30 to 40 minutes, and there were cases where the car was left on the side of the road (?) and went home the next morning. Amidst this, voices criticizing Seoul’s procrastination were also high. It is pointed out that the snow removal work did not take place in time, and the countermeasure meeting was held late. However, most of those who raised concerns about this situation were angry with the case of the’Gangnam situation’. In fact, most cases of extreme congestion and leaving the car and leaving work occurred in some areas, such as Gangnam and Seocho-gu. What was different under the same Seoul sky?
Gangnam 4 district, 4 times more snow than Seodaemun and Jongno
The primary factor in this traffic disruption was an unusual level of heavy snowfall. In particular, the snow that started to fall late in the afternoon of the 6th was concentrated in the’Gangnam area’ such as Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa, and Gangdong-gu. Seocho-gu had the largest snowfall on this day at 13.7 cm, and similar amounts of snow piled up in Gangnam, Songpa, and Gangdong-gu. Snowfall in Dongjak-gu, west of Seocho-gu, was 9.1cm. On the other hand, only 3.6cm of snow at Seodaemun, north of the Han River, and 3.7cm and 3.8cm of Eunpyeong and Jongno, respectively. An official from Seoul said, “As a result of inquiring with the Meteorological Administration, a pneumatic valley was formed in the Han River, and the snow cloud belt could not cross the river and passed only toward Seocho ~ Gangdong. “There was about 4 times more snowfall in this area than in the Gangbuk area.” Seocho, Gangnam, Songpa, and Gangdong-gu, which are usually the most expensive houses in Seoul, are called’Gangnam 4 districts’ in the real estate market, which means that they have become’Gangnam 4 districts’ that snowed heavily on this day.
material photo” alt=”On the evening of the 6th, cars are running on the Olympic Road in Seoul. On the evening of the 6th, cars are running on the Olympic Road in Seoul. <한겨레> Material photo
The city of Seoul did according to the manual, but…
As a result, the city’s’back north’ snow removal work also worsened the situation. On the 6th, snow was scattered in the Seoul area from 5 p.m. depending on the region, and big snow fell in earnest from 6:30 p.m. However, it was 7:20 p.m. when a snow removal vehicle was put in. In a situation where it was snowing at a maximum of 7 cm per hour, the snow removal vehicle that was put in after more than an hour could not help to solve the situation. Seoul is an expression of regret. It explains that the work was done according to the usual manual. A Seoul city official explained, “As soon as it snowed, a countermeasure meeting was held at 6:40 pm, and at 7:20 pm, the snow removal measures were raised to the second stage and the snow removal work started.” If it is less than 5cm, the measures for snow removal in Seoul are divided into 1st stage, 5-10cm, 2nd stage, 10cm or more, 3 stages. The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that it started to snow and sprayed calcium chloride on the roads, but it did not show much effect as it snowed more than 5cm. Subsequently, according to the second-stage countermeasure, a snowplow was put in to push snow off the road, but it was difficult to enter the snowplow because it overlapped with the time of work. A woman in her 40s, working near the Seoul Arts Center, said, “I was going from Nambu Terminal Station to Gyodae Station and the car stopped. At the Gyodae Station Intersection, the car couldn’t climb the uphill road towards the express bus terminal, so the car stopped moving so that the traffic lights changed more than five times. I had no choice but to park my vehicle in a nearby alley and take the subway to work.”
Citizens are pushing imported cars on the road near Samseong Station in Seoul on the evening of the 6th when a heavy snow warning was issued. yunhap news
Even after work hours overlap, driving quietly is’one drink’
The problem is that the sudden heavy snowfall and the coping with it overlapped with the time of work. In the Gangnam and Seocho areas, where numerous high-rise buildings are concentrated, traffic congestion worsens due to the flooding of cars during work hours. The city of Seoul recommended using public transportation from the day before, saying that road conditions are expected to deteriorate during heavy snow and cold waves, but the use of private cars in Seoul on this day was not much different from usual. The selfishness of some drivers also contributes to the worsening of the situation. An office worker in his 50s who said that it took 4 hours and 30 minutes from Seocho-gu Express Bus Terminal to Jangseung-baegi in Dongjak-gu that evening, said, “(Traffic congestion on this day) is the basic cause, but a ruthless entrance to an intersection and a tail bite were followed, and the face proceeding to the bus lane. There was also a driver of a thick car,” he said. He added, “The moment I moved to the southern end of the Hangang Bridge and entered Noryangjin, the road opened up and another world opened up.” Another reason for adding the traffic congestion in the Gangnam area is that there are many imported cars that are vulnerable to snow in this area, which is a buchon area. Among imported cars such as Mercedes and Ferrari, there are many rear-wheel drive methods in which engine power is transmitted to the rear wheels. Most of the domestic cars have front-wheel drive that is strong against snowy and rainy roads instead of poor ride comfort, but rear-wheel drive Imports have good ride comfort and are weak against snowy and rainy roads. On this day, a photo of a red Ferrari car was posted on the SNS, explaining that “someone left the car on the Olympic Street.” Also, in the middle of Gangnam-daero, several scenes were also witnessed in which imported cars spinning around in the snow were being pushed with their hands. Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially apologized for pointing out the snow removal work of the’back drum’. On this day, at 2 pm, Seo Hyeop-jeong, acting mayor of Seoul, held an unscheduled briefing and said, “We deeply apologize for causing great inconvenience and concern to the citizens.” I will tighten the reins.” “To prevent such confusion and discomfort from reoccurring again, we switched from post-snow removal measures to remove when it snows, to proactive measures to prepare before it snows, and to take measures for snow removal in preparation for various situations, such as cold waves accompanying heavy snowfall like this time. I will prepare.” By Kim Yang-jin, staff reporter [email protected]