Bupyeong District Council: "A Shift in Thinking is Needed to Address Parking Issues in the Old City Center and Utilize Vacant Spaces in Apartments"

A proposal has been made that the project to convert the underutilized auxiliary facilities of aging apartments into parking lots should be actively promoted to solve the chronic problem of parking shortages in the old city center of Incheon Bupyeong District. Additionally, there were calls for urgent legal amendments to completely block postings without local government permits to eliminate illegal banners that lead to administrative waste.

During the 4th Urban Environment Committee's major work report at the 274th Bupyeong District Council temporary session held on the 2nd, Councilman Park Young-hoon (Democratic Party·Bupyeong 3-dong, Sangok 3·4-dong, Sipjeong 1·2-dong) focused on checking the livelihood issues with the Parking Management Division, Facility Management Corporation, and Urban Landscape Division.

Councilman Park first drew attention to the support project for the installation of auxiliary parking lots in apartments. He emphasized, "For aging apartments built before 2013 that lack parking space, the district should actively support the conversion of underutilized welfare facilities such as tennis courts or children's playgrounds into parking lots." In response, the Parking Management Division stated, "Currently, apartments in the Sipjeong-dong and Bugae-dong areas have received support, and if there is consent from more than two-thirds of the residents, installation cost support is possible."

Various alternatives for optimizing parking in the old city center were also presented. Councilman Park evaluated the 24-hour opening and 50% discount policy for nighttime fees at the Samsan Sunrise Parking Lot as "a good administrative case for resolving conflicts between merchants and residents." He also urged the Facility Management Corporation, which is considering the introduction of smart devices (kiosks) for transparent operation of on-street parking lots, to "prevent user inconveniences such as opaque additional charges in advance."

He also expressed his beliefs regarding environmental and administrative efficiency. While praising the Urban Landscape Division for recycling old banners into bags, he urged for fundamental solutions. He stated, "The vicious cycle of hanging illegal banners on weekends and removing them on Mondays is a clear waste of administration and budget, as well as environmental pollution," and stressed that "strong legal amendments at the central government level are needed to allow only banners approved by the jurisdictional local government to be posted."

In addition, Councilman Park recommended the installation of an outdoor stage in Bupyeong Park, a city-managed facility, to enhance the convenience of residents, and called for the prompt completion of the public parking lot project on the site of the Northern Waterworks Office to alleviate parking shortages in the Cheongcheon-dong area.

Councilman Park stated, "Due to the characteristics of the old city center in Bupyeong District, conflicts among residents often arise over parking and environmental issues," and said, "Let us work together with the council and the executive branch for efficient administrative services that residents can feel."