Reason for the Bicycle BoomThere are many reasons for the bicycle boom in Korea and other countries. To begin with, bicycles are emerging as an environmentally-friendly means of transportation that symbolize green growth and green jobs creation in the world. In Korea, most companies have implemented a five-day work week. Korea's specific culture and lifestyle leans toward well-being, people enjoy riding bicycles in their free time. More people are willing to spend more to buy recreational bicycles and join bicycle societies. For this reason, the government is pushing ahead with promoting the bicycle market. However, many policies which have been suggested by each city have too many aspects that are either not useful or redundant. Therefore, many local governments have decided to set-up public bicycle businesses. Plans of the GovernmentThere is currently a MOPAS project called Promoting Bicycle Policy Plans for 10 years. Promoting the bicycle policy plan is based on the expansion of infrastructure, legal revision, and large-scale events. This project has been in force since 2009. Its main purposes are the expansion of infrastructure, safety measures, system improvement for users, and the expansion of use. In order to expand infrastructure, the government has appointed 10 hub cities, and they will provide 90 billion won for those cities through 2012. MOPAS supports building bicycle lanes and bicycle parking facilities in newly developed areas and tourist complexes. Some of the most basic problems faced by bicycle riders pertain to safety concerns. The government wants to introduce cycling safety regulations, install road signs, enforce speed limits, provide an expanded number of bicycle parking spaces in parking lots, as well as provide one-stop shops for bicycle repairs and maintenance. They will make standard public bike operating systems based on the models established in Changwon and Daejeon. This system will reduce inefficiency from repetitious work done by different cities. The government will also build public bicycle lanes which will consider the characteristics of each city. Most cities establish bicycle lanes to make it easier to get to and from work and school on bicycles. Furthermore, bike paths are planned for implementation along the coastlines and roads leading to the four major rivers. MOPAS will actively provide funds for bicycle projects with a 1.5 trillion won investment in order to establish a total of 3,114km of bike lanes. They will also operate a Bicycle Tour and Site Overseer positions will be assigned to public officials, media members, and bicycle societies. MOPAS hopes the system can provide a platform for better communication and interaction between the government and people. Now, safety education programs are being organized for all people including elementary and middle school students. Public satisfaction is of utmost importance. It is important that the government establishes many support systems. In order to promote participation in the programs the government will establish a bicycle day, and they have pledged to revise legislation to urge citizens to not use their cars and use bicycles instead. There are also some serious problems with bicycle theft that must be addressed. The government is addressing this issue by laying the groundwork for a bicycle registration system. Each local government has already implemented a registration system. MOPAS is also promoting the 2nd Korean Bicycle Festival and World Bicycle Expo in order to promote their new bicycle policies. The 2nd Korean Bicycle Festival will be held from October 22nd to October 30th for 9 days and the World Bicycle Expo is scheduled for October 22nd to 24th in Goyang. MOPAS will also establish enabling policies to increase bicycle use. First of all, workers who ride bicycles to work can receive a special allowance or incentives. University students will also be given incentives to buy and use bicycles. YU was selected as a model university for this program. It will allow students to buy bicycles at half price. YU estimates they sold about 500 bicycles, but they actually sold 600 bicycles under this program. The Present Condition of Each City The information we have given is about general national policies, but there are more details to consider at local levels. The original bicycle city in Korea is Sangju, this city is home to 85,000 bicycle users. Three people out of ten and one student out of every two use bicycles everyday in Sangju. Korea’s first Bicycle Museum opened in Sangju, and they hold the Sangju Bicycle Festival every year. Sangju also has plans for a Bicycle Theme Park which will focus on culture, leisure, and tourism infrastructure projects.Changwon is the only city that furnishes public bicycles. Changwon has introduced and is operating a “citizen public bike system” in which citizens can rent and ride public bikes. The system is called NUBIJA, it is a self-service system that applies ubiquitous technology for users to use conveniently and easily at any time and any place. NUBIJA is a combination of the Korean words for "move around" and "bike." NUBIJA stations were installed in living facilities around Changwon City Hall where access and use by citizens is convenient. Bike stands have been installed at terminals and have bike locking equipment for theft prevention of public bikes. Member cards and bike recognition equipment are also attached, this makes it possible to rent and return bikes at unmanned terminals. The NUBIJA bike is a life style bicycle, so women, the elderly, and the physically challenged can ride and get off easily. They can be used comfortably and have 7 gears that you shift through when you ride uphill. They can confirm running distance, time, and average speed through a gauge panel attached to its handle. In addition, the Changwon Metropolitan area has the most advanced bicycle system. Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a pilot program allowing passengers to board subway trains with their bicycles. Initially, bicycles will be allowed only on Sundays and public holidays to avoid the morning and evening commute hours. The city will introduce bicycle ramps to allow bicycles to be brought into the subway stations, install ticketing equipment that is accessible to bicycles and wheelchairs and make renovations in the subway stations and trains to make it convenient to bring bicycles onto subway cars. Subway stations will also have bicycle storage spaces where they can be kept securely. Incheon will supply folding bikes which will allow people to receive transfer discounts when they use the subway. They also plan to organize Youth Exploration Scouts that will allow young people to learn about the environment and the benefits of bicycle use.Daegu Metropolitan City's Present ConditionsBike lanes- Ten cycle tracks, one hundred eighty green ways, Seven hundred fifty bicycle racks, Daegu Metropolitan City established a policy team regarding bicycles on Feb. 27th, 2009. They have constructed a 7.5 km cycle track along Dalseo main road in the Seongseo Industrial Complex from Shindang Intersection to Daechon Bridge. They instituted a greenbelt between the roadway and a cycle track for division. They have constructed a 25km cycle track from Doosan Bridge to Daegu Stadium. The track has been under construction since July 2009, and will be finished in December 2010. The Daegu Station bicycle parking lot will be finished in June, 2010. Dongchon Station bicycle parking lot will be finished in April, 2010. In 2010, there will be a cycle parking lot in transportation transfer areas, for example; Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation stations. Daegu City Hall also manages a bicycle safety education program. To educate the public about bicycle regulations and provide practical training (adult 20 hours, Youth 2 hours). Metropolitan Transit Corporation station has expanded management of free bicycle rentals from thirty-three at two stations to one-hundred eight at three stations and will also institute a slope way in four stations. They plan to develop U-bike (public bicycle) design as well in order to provide better service in the second half of the year and support a bicycle riding festival. In addition, a traveling fix car is operated by Daegu, so simple breakdowns or damage can be repaired free of charge. For example, punctures, correction of rims, and damaged bicycle pumps will be covered by the program. The government hopes to supply local information regarding statistical data about bicycles and a map of bicycle routes. The bicycle mileage homepage (www.ecobike.org) has been redone so it is easier to use. The goal for participating citizens is 40,000 km because 40,000 km is the circumference of the Earth. During the event, if an individual achieves the goal, they will be awarded a souvenir. (Present participants roughly 2,500 people, total distance travelled about 1,477,000 km) Bicycle Facilities of Dalseo-gu The city hopes to establish a cycle track from Seongseo Industrial Complex to Walgok Road. The 50,000 people who work at Seongseo Industrial Complex and the 20,000 people who attend Keimyung University will make use of the cycle track. This cycle track will be connected to Seongseo Keimyung University-Moda Outlet cycle track. The Gangcheon Bridge-Seongseo Keimyung University track will have a total distance of 1.6km. The Dalseo-gu office expects many people will use the cycle track because the Kumho River is located nearby. Therefore, it will be a very good course not only for commuting, but also for leisure. However, a crosswalk is located on the cycle track and some people park cars there. As a countermeasure, Dalseo-gu office has cracked down on illegal parking. Dalseo-gu has the most bicycle racks and was the first district to establish a bicycle road system in Daegu. Blocks for boundary lines between bicycle roads and sidewalks interfere with traffic order. In addition, few people use the cycle track as compared with the number of bicycle racks. Many incidents of lost bicycles are also a matter of concern.Concern about Cycle TracksFormer roads were poorly established. Cycle tracks have been established lower than the sidewalk, so if it's rainy, water flows on to them; it's quite difficult to get around in these conditions. Traffic builds up around narrow roads and at intersections, when drivers turn right or left, traffic accidents become more likely. Moreover, there is friction between nearby facilities. For example, Seoul City and the Korea Water Resources Corporation have a conflict regarding cycle track business. Compared to the effort involved, the investment produced poor returns. The government plans to enforce a bicycle registration system but has not made registration of bicycle ownership methods or procedures. Details have not been established until now. The government has dedicated a great deal of money to vitalize the bicycle culture and industry of Korea; this has caused some cases of abuse. Accidents have occurred because preparatory research was not thorough enough. For example, Incheon City spent sixty billion won to make a bike path, but it became a roadway again only six months later. Uijeongbu also spent two hundred million won to make a bike path, but use was very low so it was turned into a parking area. Riding bicycles in place of driving automobiles is one way to combat global warming. Therefore, many plans to increase bicycle use have been drawn up from all parts of the country. However, in the end, the government's efforts have not born any substantial fruit. Recently many people have become interested in bicycles because riding bicycles not only saves money, but also promotes health. The interest in bicycles continues its upward trend. In addition, many local autonomous entities are suggesting ways to vitalize bicycle use. If these attempts are successful, we can all benefit from them.