32 million expected to move during May golden week holidays

32 million expected to move during May golden week holidays. April. 29, 2015 07:22. gaea@donga.com.

Korean people will soon enjoy golden week holidays that will last for a maximum of five days from Labor Day on May 1 to Children`s Day on May 5. During this time, it is expected that May 2 morning and May 3 afternoon will exhibit the heaviest traffic jam.

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry and the Korea Transport Institute conducted a survey on traffic demand during the holidays in May of 5,000 households nationwide. The results, announced Tuesday, expected that on May 1, 6.4 million people will move to another area, followed by 7 million on May 2, 6.7 million on the third, 6.33 million on the fourth, and 5.77 million on May 5. A total of 32 million people will be mobilizing during these five days. Daily average mobility was expected at 6.4 million, up 74.3 percent from normal days of 3.67 million people.

Regarding the time zone, 26.4 percent of survey respondents said they will move to another area on Saturday morning, followed by Friday morning at 19.4 percent, and morning of May 5 at 9.7 percent. As for the time of returning home, 25.5 percent said they plan to return on Sunday afternoon, followed by Saturday afternoon 22.6 percent, and May 5 afternoon 22.6 percent. The ministry forecast the highest traffic congestion on May 2, 3 and 5.

People driving their own cars from Seoul will spend two more hours on road than normal weekends of April. Average time spent returning to Seoul will take additional 90 minutes. It was estimated that it will take 1 hour and 40 minutes more to go to Busan and 2 hours more to Gwangju. From Busan to Seoul it was expected to take 1 hour and 50 minutes and 2 hours from Gwangju.

Passenger cars accounted for 84 percent as transportation usage, followed by express, intercity and chartered buses at 11.3 percent, trains at 3.5 percent, and airplanes and passenger ships at 0.6 percent. The ministry will expand the daily average number of trains by 14, express bus 1,851, airplanes 20 and passenger ships 123.