Buses pass by Sinchon's car-free street of Yonsei-ro in Seoul, Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will lift the pedestrian-friendly policy after 11 years, starting next January, to revive the local economy. Yonhap

Seoul's first car-free street, Yonsei-ro in the Sinchon area, will once again allow private vehicles starting next year to revive the local economy.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Thursday that it will remove the "public transportation zone" designation from Yonsei-ro starting Jan. 1 next year, following a two-year experiment.

Yonsei-ro is a 550-meter-long road that connects Yonsei University in Seodaemun District with Sinchon rotary. The city government designated the area as a "public transportation zone" in 2014 under former Mayor Park Won-soon.

The city allowed only a few buses to pass through the area on weekdays in order to create a pedestrian-friendly space, aiming to revitalize commercial districts and ease traffic congestion.

However, local shopkeepers and residents argued that the car-free policy harmed the local economy. The commercial district of Sinchon, in particular, has struggled to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to calls for the policy's abolition.

The debate began after Seodaemun District Mayor Lee Sung-heon was elected in 2022 with a pledge to abolish the car-free street policy. More than 2,000 merchants and residents of Yonsei-ro submitted a petition to the district office calling for the abolition of the car-free street concept.

In response, the city government temporarily lifted the restrictions and conducted experiments for nine months from January to September last year.

Data from over 700 stores in Yonsei-ro showed a 6.3 percent increase in Shinhan Card usage between February and April of last year, when the traffic restrictions were lifted, compared to the same period in 2024.

A district survey found that average daily sales per store were 23 percent higher during the period when the traffic restrictions were lifted.

A sign explains the restrictions on private vehicles on Sinchon's car-free street of Yonsei-ro in Seoul, Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will lift the pedestrian-friendly policy after 11 years, starting next January, to revive the local economy. Yonhap

Meanwhile, the city government determined that vehicle speeds have not changed significantly. When the restrictions were lifted, the average speed of traffic heading toward the Sinchon rotary decreased from 18.8 kilometers per hour (kph) to 15.8 kph, while the speed in the direction of Yonsei University increased from 9 kph to 10.9 kph.

Lee Jin-gu, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Transportation Policy Division, said, "It seems that traffic patterns have not changed easily over the past decade."

Due to the increase in traffic toward Yonsei University during rush hour, the city government also plans to increase the time for a left-turn signal in front of the university during rush hour.

As Yonsei-ro reopened to private vehicles, the number of cars driving through the side streets in Sinchon decreased. Specifically, the side streets in front of Changseo Elementary School saw a 10 percent reduction in daily traffic, dropping from 2,088 to 1,877 vehicles.

Even if the restrictions are lifted next month, the width of the sidewalk will be maintained.

The city government has installed a urethane road fence between the lanes and pedestrian guardrails along sidewalks to enhance safety.

The district office said that it plans to implement a car-free policy every Sunday and hold concerts on the streets.

Yonsei-ro was one of three car-free streets in South Korea, alongside Jungang-ro in Daegu and Dongcheon-ro in Busan.

Daegu Jungang-ro lifted the regulation on a 450-meter section of the street last November, and Busan Dongcheon-ro has suspended the regulation from 2022.