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Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced plans for a “Seoul model” of measures to reduce fine particle dust-related emergencies.

The plan, which included a voluntary alternate-day travel system for drivers in the Seoul region at times of heavy dust concentrations, was announced by Park while attending a citizens’ forum on fine dust held at Gwanghwamun Square on the afternoon of May 27. The city explained that because it has no legal basis for forcing drivers to participate in the alternate-day system, it would encourage citizen participation by offering free subway, bus, and other public transportation services while the system was in effect.

“Seoul will declare fine dust a disaster and commit all of its capacities at the city level,” Park announced.

“The loss [from providing free public transportation services] is around 3.6 billion won (US$3.2 million) a day. Last year, the most serious [fine dust] level was reached seven times, which means Seoul could shoulder losses of 25 billion won (US$22.3 million),” he noted.

“But the value of human beings is far greater than that of money,” he continued.

Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to announce more specific emergency reduction measures on June 1.

The announcement was welcomed by environmental and civic groups that have campaigned for an alternate-day travel system. But some complained about the system being implemented only temporarily on days with high dust levels, arguing that transportation cost reductions would only go so far as an incentive without regulatory policies on vehicles.

The free public transportation policy announced by Seoul is similar to the partial driving restriction system introduced in Mar. 2014 in Paris, where half of all non-electric personal vehicles have been barred from entering the city on days when air pollution is severe. Besides providing free public transportation, Paris government has also issued fines of 25 Euros (US$27.90) for violations of the alternate-day system. Other examples of transport control policies in cities include London‘s system, which charges a congestion toll from vehicles entering the city center, and Beijing, where temporary driving restriction regulations stipulate a set number of registered vehicles.

In contrast with other countries, Seoul does not have the legal authority to regulate vehicles entering from outside. The free public transportation system is the city’s last-ditch measure to encourage public participation under the circumstances.

Asian Citizens’ Center for Environment and Health director Choi Ye-yong voiced concerns about how effective the alternate-day system will be without regulatory backing.

“From an individual perspective, you’re saving maybe 4,000 to 5,000 won (US$3.60-4.50) in public transportation fees a day. That’s not enough,” Choi said.

“We need to do something like blocking access to vehicles under the alternate-day travel system within Seoul’s four central gates,” he suggested.

Lee Se-geol, secretary-general for the Seoul chapter of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, described the city‘s plan as a “stage-one policy devised for a situation where vehicles commuting within the Seoul area can’t be controlled.”

“In the long term, this is going to need to be mandatory rather than voluntary, and instituted on a daily basis rather than as an emergency measure,” Lee said.

In response, Seoul air management department chief Jeong Mi-seon acknowledged that the city “isn‘t expecting tremendous effects in the short term.”

“But air pollution is bad enough that the city would be forgoing days’ worth of public transportation revenues. We felt the central government would not take action without preemptive measures by local governments,” Jeong said.

The city‘s choice of the citizens’ forum as a platform for announcing the voluntary alternate-day system was meant both to pressure the central government and as a step toward the necessary public consensus. A straw poll of the forum’s 3,000 attendees on May 27 showed 80.1% supporting the alternate-day system and 7% opposing it. The idea of limiting access to polluting vehicles within the four main gates was supported by 79.3% and opposed by 6.5%.

What kind of effect would strong participation in the alternate-day system bring? A study published by the Seoul Institute in April on emission source and regional contributions to ultrafine particles in 2016 showed the greater Seoul area to account to 34% of fine dust, with cars making up 25% of that contribution. With overseas sources accounting for 55%, some have argued that the alternate-day travel system would have only limited effects.

But Choi Ye-yong said past examples have shown the measures could have an effect.

“Atmospheric pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx) fell by half after an alternate-day travel system was instituted in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics,” he noted.

“In South Korea, statistics showed the number of children suffering from asthma dropped by nearly half and rose again between when an alternate-day travel system was instituted in Busan for the 2002 Asian Games and when it had been lifted,” he added.

By Nam Eun-joo, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]