‘7말 8초’ 휴가 여전…“8월 2일 도로 가장 막힌다”

We're right in the middle of peak vacation season here in Korea.
And that means traffic on the highways will be reaching a peak in the days to come.
That's especially true on highways heading to and from the beaches on the east coast.
Park Se-young has more.
This year's summer vacation season will peak between July 27th and August 9th, …with about half of all Korean holidaymakers planning to travel during those two weeks.
According to a survey of seven-thousand households nationwide by the Korea Transport Institute, …an average of four-point-nine million vacationers a day will hit the roads between July 25th and August 11th,... making a total of over 88 million journeys.
That's up one-point-seven percent from the previous year's daily average.
With over 84 percent of travelers saying they will drive, the transport ministry has declared the 18-day period this summer's peak season for highway traffic.
Expressways leading out of the capital area are predicted to be the busiest on July 31st and August 1st, …and they will be the most clogged with homeward-bound travelers from August 3rd to 4th.
As for getaway destinations, …the most popular choice was the east coast of Korea, …followed by the south coast and Jeju island.
This means the Yeongdong Expressway is likely to be the most crowded, …followed by the Gyeongbu Expressway and Seohaean Expressway.
To ease highway traffic during the peak season, drivers will be informed of alternative routes and the hard shoulder will be used as an extra lane.
Drones will be deployed to look for traffic violations and accidents.
The transport ministry has also announced special measures including increasing the operations of public transportation to help reduce traffic congestion.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.