▲ The scene of the personal mobility safety campaign held at the main gate (Source: CWNU Waagle)

As the new semester begins, CWNU is accelerating efforts to improve the campus environment, driven by its selection as a “2024 Glocal University.” In particular, the university is focusing on creating a safe commuting environment for students. As previously announced, the university plans to transform the main gate into an open square and will block vehicles from passing directly through the main gate via a detour, aiming to reduce the risk of safety accidents on campus. Additionally, pedestrian- only paths will be established around the main gate to support safe walking for students. Due to the increased risk of safety accidents from the rising use of electric scooters, a safety campaign regarding personal mobility devices was conducted on September 11 in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs and the police.

This campaign was conducted by distributing pamphlets informing students about safety rules regarding personal mobility devices, the importance of wearing safety gear, violation items and the risks of traffic accidents. Additionally, banners were used to promote related information to students passing through the main gate. Park Sun- hee, the team leader of the Office of Student Affairs, explained the background of the campaign: “At the beginning of the semester, there have been many changes in the campus traffic environment. Furthermore, with students increasingly using personal mobility devices within the campus, safety accidents have frequently occurred. We initiated this campaign to raise awareness about safety rules and to prevent accidents in this new commuting environment.”

Additionally, Park emphasized that the most important points she wants to convey to students through the campaign are the importance of wearing helmets and following licensing regulations. She stated, “There are barely any students wearing helmets while using personal mobility devices. Wearing a helmet is essential to prevent accidents.” She also mentioned, “Many students are often caught driving without a license, so I thought it was necessary to make sure about the importance of having a license.”

To establish more effective safety education, CWNU requested cooperation from the Changwon Central Police Station to conduct this campaign. Park explained, “When requesting cooperation from the Traffic Division of the police station for the campaign, I suggested that we focus on directly informing students about safety rules rather than enforcement. Since the environment around the main gate has changed, the primary goal of the campaign was to help students adapt and navigate safely.”

However, students have expressed that the promotion of this campaign was somewhat insufficient. According to a survey conducted by our publication, about 67% of the 41 respondents indicated that they had ‘never heard of’ the personal mobility safety campaign. The reasons cited included ‘lack of promotion’ and ‘lack of access to relevant information.’ Regarding the campaign’s promotional strategies, Park explained, “We recognize that relying on distributing pamphlets at the main gate makes it difficult to promote this campaign. Therefore, the university is also trying to inform students through other methods, such as posting related promotional materials on the student community platform ‘Everytime.’”

With the expansion of pedestrian- only spaces due to the improvements at CWNU's main gate, the issue of coexistence with personal mobility devices has emerged as a new challenge. Students who participated in the survey expressed various opinions, such as, “I’m concerned about safety accidents because personal mobility devices may use the pedestrian- only paths at the main gate,” or “I hope a separate road for personal mobility devices is installed, similar to bicycle lanes,” reflecting their desire for a safer commuting environment. Since there is still a lack of clear regulations regarding personal mobility devices in our society, the university’s efforts to prevent safety accidents are becoming increasingly important. Accordingly, this campaign is a good example of the school’s commitment and effort to ensure the safety of its students. With the continued efforts of the university and students’ commitment to following safety rules and being considerate of one another, a safer and more pleasant campus environment can be achieved.

By Kim Han-seul, reporter  hozejunior@naver.com

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