It was found that 373 (80%) of the 464 inhabited islands in Korea do not have public transportation, and 73 islands do not even have access to passenger boats or ferries.
According to the Korea Island Promotion Agency on the 3rd, it was confirmed as a result of conducting the first ground transportation survey in Korea on 464 manned islands for the first task, ‘Research on Island Transportation System Innovation’.
Even so, the average number of daily operations per bus route in island areas (91) with public transportation was 6.6, which was 14.3 fewer than the national average of 20.9.
The cost of traveling to and from the island is also not insignificant. With the revision of the Public Transportation Act in 2020, coastal passenger ships were included in the means of public transportation, but passenger ship fares are still different.
Excluding Jeonnam-do, which is operating a 1,000 won passenger boat to realize transportation welfare for island residents, most islanders pay a higher fare (unit price per km) than planes and use passenger boats, while experiencing inconvenience due to frequent cancellations.
For this reason, voices are growing that the fares of passenger ships and ferries going to and from the island should be lowered to the level of buses and subways.
It is because of this background that the Korea Island Promotion Agency’s No. 1 task was ‘Research on Island Transportation System Innovation’.
This task is focused on guaranteeing the islanders’ basic transportation rights.
The research, which was conducted for nine months from March to November of last year, is evaluated as having prepared a systematic response plan through a survey on island residents’ transportation satisfaction, an evaluation of accessibility to transportation facilities, and a field survey by island type.
The transportation satisfaction survey, which was conducted on 1,000 residents of 464 inhabited islands in Korea, was divided into maritime transportation and land transportation.
Regarding maritime transportation, the island residents’ main wish for improvement (duplicate responses) was ‘extension of passenger ship operating hours’, which was the highest at 50.2% (506 people). Next was ‘expanding the number of passenger ships operated’ (484 persons, 48.1%) and ‘adjustment of fares’ (284 persons, 28.2%).
In islands where public transportation was introduced (duplicate responses), it was confirmed that they wished to ‘increase the number of trips’ (566 people, 56.2%) and ‘introduce transportation’ (476 people, 47.2%).
In the satisfaction survey on the island transportation system, it was found that overall satisfaction was high in ‘islands with land and yearly projects completed’ and ‘islands with a population of 1,000 or more’.
Through this process, the Korea Islands Promotion Agency diagnoses and solves the problems of the island’s transportation system as ‘7 major innovative measures’: ‘Introduction of the public passenger ship system’, ‘Realization of public transportation for island transportation’, ‘Improvement of the transportation system within the island’ It suggested ‘preparation of plans’, ‘improvement of side effects depending on the continent and year’, ‘various regulatory improvements’, ‘introduction of air transportation’, and ‘diversification of transportation means and systems using cutting-edge technology’.
Regarding the need for ‘introduction of air transportation’, prompt promotion of Baengnyeong Airport and Heuksan Airport, review of additional islands requiring small aviation, and review of UAM (Urban Air Mobility) as a means of transportation using advanced technology. suggested that it should be done.
Oh Dong-ho, Director of the Korea Island Promotion Agency, said, “This study was conducted in good faith, including legal and institutional analysis, in order to guarantee the island residents’ basic transportation rights and to identify problems in the island transportation system.” We will take the lead in developing a fact-finding policy so that we can regain the basic rights we have not been able to.”
[목포=뉴시스]
