Cycling in south korea



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bikeOasis KOREA

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Jan 13, 2016
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Hello,

I want to share with you some information about cycling in Korea as our country as probably one of the most modern bicycle infrastructure in the world.

Indeed, for the past few years Korea has built brand new segregated bicycle facilities around the country. These bike paths are very modern and most of them are located along the major rivers. Hence, they are mostly flat and easy to cycle, about 90% of these dedicated bike paths being paved and completely separated from the cars. So riding on these bicycle paths is very easy and not exhausting.


These bicycle paths are as good as the ones you would find in bike friendly countries such as the Netherlands. Along these paths, there are plenty of convenient stores, coffee shops, and rest areas for cyclists. The tourist places and stopping points included in our programs are also nearby these bicycle paths.


Spring (April, May) & autumn (Sept., Oct) are the best season for Korea bike tours.


Our company, bikeOasis KOREA offers bicycle tours in Korea and also some bicycle tours in Seoul.

For more details, feel free to check the below websites.


- Bicycle tours in Korea: bikeOasis KOREA (http://bikeoasis.kr/index.html)
You can check below our tour videos (on Youtube) for our bicycle tours in Korea.
We currently offer free single supplement for our Spring tours.



https://www.youtube.com/user/bikeOasis

- Bicycle tours in Seoul:Seoul City Bike Tour


 

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I'm very interested in the biking lane you mentioned because I think the bike lanes in the Philippines are not following the prescribed measurement. Understandably so because biking is not that popular here due to the tropical climate that would make a biker sweat. But with the bike lanes, it is also good for motorcycles so it would be a good development if bike lanes are created here using the standard measurement.
 
Corzhens said:
I'm very interested in the biking lane you mentioned because I think the bike lanes in the Philippines are not following the prescribed measurement. Understandably so because biking is not that popular here due to the tropical climate that would make a biker sweat. But with the bike lanes, it is also good for motorcycles so it would be a good development if bike lanes are created here using the standard measurement.
Click to expand...

Here in the UK, the government as put a lot if emphasis on trying to get people out if their cars and either on to public transport or other ways of getting to work, cycling bring one of them.

A lot of money as been invested on cycle lanes, especially in the city centres to varying degrees of success. While they have obviously helped the cyclists, I'm not sure if they've made more people switch to the bicycle and that was the main reason for doing it in the first place.
 
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pwarbi said:
Here in the UK, the government as put a lot if emphasis on trying to get people out if their cars and either on to public transport or other ways of getting to work, cycling bring one of them.

A lot of money as been invested on cycle lanes, especially in the city centres to varying degrees of success. While they have obviously helped the cyclists, I'm not sure if they've made more people switch to the bicycle and that was the main reason for doing it in the first place.
Click to expand...

I understand the big investment on bicycle lanes because of the cost of land. Over here, there is the widening of the road that involves buying part of the land of the lots or taking a piece of the sidewalk. But the reward is not very visible since there are no statistics that say how many bikers are added with the construction of the bike lane. On a brighter note, there are now 3 cities in Metro Manila with bike lanes, i.e. Marikina, Pasig and Taguig.
 
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Your right of course, an nobody actually knows if the cycle lanes have tempted more people to use the bikes as we have no figures from before to compare against.

I can see more and more cities worldwide starting to adopt the cycle lane schemes so I guess even if it attracts a only a few more cyclists then it will be worth investing in.
 
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Corzhens said:
I'm very interested in the biking lane you mentioned because I think the bike lanes in the Philippines are not following the prescribed measurement. Understandably so because biking is not that popular here due to the tropical climate that would make a biker sweat. But with the bike lanes, it is also good for motorcycles so it would be a good development if bike lanes are created here using the standard measurement.
Click to expand...

The bike lanes in Korea are only for bicycles. However, in the countryside some farmers use sometimes the bike paths with their cars or motorcycle to access to their land. But it is not a real big deal for cyclists.

This map shows all the bike paths network in Korea.
The bike paths on Jeju Island have been officially opened begining of November 2015.
The bicycle path located in the North part of the east coast is already open since mid Spring 2015.

Korea has really big project to develop cycling as a way of commuting or travelling.


4river.jpg
 
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bikeOasis KOREA said:
The bike lanes in Korea are only for bicycles. However, in the countryside some farmers use sometimes the bike paths with their cars or motorcycle to access to their land. But it is not a real big deal for cyclists.

This map shows all the bike paths network in Korea.
The bike paths on Jeju Island have been officially opened begining of November 2015.
The bicycle path located in the North part of the east coast is already open since mid Spring 2015.

Korea has really big project to develop cycling as a way of commuting or travelling.


4river.jpg
Click to expand...

In most countries the cycle lanes are there for cyclists only by law, but that doesn't stop other road users from using them, and especially here in the UK there's been times when ice seen anything using then from motorbikes and mopeds to even mobility scooters.

The cycle lanes can tend to be a free for all, especially in the cities and it's no wonder that even though a cycle lane is in place, it's still safer to ride on the road or pavement sometimes.
 
Well, in Korea the situation is different from the one you have described in England.
It is pretty safe to ride along the bike paths as long as cyclists and pedestrians pay attention and respect basic rules when riding (respect of the traffic, pay attention when riding a bike, use signs).

However riding a bicycle on a road in Korea, especially in cities is very dangerous. Cars do not really respect cyclists as they do not treat them as equals. And some cyclists do not really respect traffic rules.

Pwarbi, you have raised an important point. Bike paths help to make cycling better and safer, but education is probably the most important point. Respect of the traffic rules and respect of other drivers/riders is probably the key point to prodive safe riding.

As said earlier, for cyclists riding in Korea, sticking to the bike paths is probably the best for now. Landscapes are wonderful, there are some monuments to visit nearby the bike paths (museums, temples,...) and plenty of restaurants and convenient stores.
 
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bikeOasis KOREA said:
Well, in Korea the situation is different from the one you have described in England.
It is pretty safe to ride along the bike paths as long as cyclists and pedestrians pay attention and respect basic rules when riding (respect of the traffic, pay attention when riding a bike, use signs).

However riding a bicycle on a road in Korea, especially in cities is very dangerous. Cars do not really respect cyclists as they do not treat them as equals. And some cyclists do not really respect traffic rules.

Pwarbi, you have raised an important point. Bike paths help to make cycling better and safer, but education is probably the most important point. Respect of the traffic rules and respect of other drivers/riders is probably the key point to prodive safe riding.

As said earlier, for cyclists riding in Korea, sticking to the bike paths is probably the best for now. Landscapes are wonderful, there are some monuments to visit nearby the bike paths (museums, temples,...) and plenty of restaurants and convenient stores.
Click to expand...

I do think it's more a matter of education as when it comes to cyclists using bike lanes, there's no actual rules out in place, it's just a matter of get on your bike and go.

As for the other road users, I don't think it helps that in some cities there's different rules regarding the cycle lanes. Some you ARE allowed to drive in or across at certain times of the day, like say between 4pm and 8pm.

The rules do need clarification to start off with, and I think only then can we start to educate people into when and how to use them.
 
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