Ansan City expands immediate towing of abandoned personal mobility devices

Ansan City is expanding its immediate towing operations for abandoned personal mobility (PM) devices, such as electric scooters, to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility. Starting in October, the city will deploy additional safety guidance and enforcement personnel in two-person teams to conduct both day and night inspections.

The immediate towing zones, which previously focused on the Ansan Culture Square and Gojan New Town commercial areas, will expand to include Seonbu Square, the Handaeap Station commercial district, and the Saemgol-ro area due to high usage and increased complaints. Enforcement will prioritize devices left in the middle of sidewalks or bike paths, near crosswalks, on braille blocks, and at elevator entrances.

A towing fee of 30,000 KRW per device will be applied. In response to a doubling of related complaints compared to last year, the city is also working with the Ansan City Council to amend local ordinances. This amendment aims to expand the scope of management from electric scooters to include shared electric bicycles, of which approximately 6,000 are currently in operation in the city.