NAMYANGJU — The city of Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province has formally asked the operator of the Pocheon-Hwado Expressway to lower the toll at the Dalmoe interchange, where drivers pay 1,300 won for a 2.85-kilometer stretch.
Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyun-duk met with Lee Dong-eun, chief executive of Pocheon-Hwado Expressway, at the mayor's office on the 2nd to discuss ways to ease the burden, the city said on the 3rd. Representatives of residents from the Hwado and Sudong areas also attended the meeting.
The section from the Dalmoe interchange to the Hwado junction runs about 2.85 kilometers, yet the toll is set at 1,300 won. The burden falls disproportionately on short-distance drivers because a base fare is charged separately for each route when two or more expressways are used in succession.
Residents of Hwado-eup and Sudong-myeon, the main users of the Dalmoe interchange, submitted a petition to the city signed by 7,750 people.
Relaying those views to the operator, the mayor said the toll at the Dalmoe interchange is high relative to the distance traveled. "We ask that you fully reflect the voices of local residents and actively review practical measures to ease the burden, including a toll reduction," he said.
The city is also pursuing regulatory changes. In the short term, it has asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to widen the scope of an existing discount for short connecting sections. Over the longer term, it has proposed introducing a transfer system so that base fares are not charged twice when drivers move between expressways.
The city said it will continue to consult with the expressway operator and the ministry on measures to ease the toll burden at the Dalmoe interchange and to improve the system.
