National Law on Road Rationalization
Menghe's National Law on Road Rationalization (or NLRR) is a set of regulations drawn up by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MoTC) and passed by the National Assembly in 2021. In addition to standardizing road construction regulations by consolidating all public roadways into four types, it also lays out a set of best practices for urban planning and road transit design. The new standards became mandatory for all new road construction projects approved after 1 July 2021, and the law also laid out a set of recommended timetables for the modification of existing roadways which do not comply with the standards.
Background
During the Menghean Economic Miracle, the Menghean expressway network grew from just 83 kilometers to over 30,000 kilometers in length, fueled by rapid urbanization, high government investment in infrastructure, and surplus capacity in the construction sector. Car ownership increased in tandem, from 10 vehicles per 1,000 people in 1988 to 284 vehicles per 1,000 people in 2015. Once largely reserved for Party members and transportation workers, automobiles became an increasingly common marker of middle-class status in Menghe, and the volume of road traffic skyrocketed.
The MoTC's regulatory directorate struggled to keep up with the pace of road construction, and as a result, many high-volume roads were built to outdated safety standards or poorly integrated with other transit systems. Combined with the rapid pace of Menghe's urbanization, this often resulted in sub-optimal urban transit planning. In some cases, engineers bulldozed entire neighborhoods to make way for expressways through city-center areas; in many other cases, new high-density developments were built around wide avenues four, six, or even eight or ten lanes across. This created serious issues with traffic flow, pedestrian safety, and noise pollution. In small cities, new development zones, and suburban areas,
Alarmed by the issues created by poor urban planning, some of Menghe's local and national government agencies began researching better ways to manage automobile traffic. Many municipal governments sent fact-finding missions to sister cities overseas, especially cities in Bataviae and other parts of Casaterra.
Insŏng was the first city to put these new ideas into practice. In 2010, the city's municipal transportation bureau promulgated a set of regulations which strictly separated low-speed streets and high-flow roads in all new development areas. Existing roadways, and incremental extensions of existing roadways, were exempted. So were expressways, which remained under national management. Even with these constraints, by 2015 Insŏng's new expansion districts were reporting markedly better patterns of traffic flow, with higher satisfaction ratings among both pedestrians and drivers.
As the 2010s progressed, other cities began emulating the Insŏng model. The exact regulations differed from one city to another, but in most cases they approximately followed Insŏng's three-tier system: expressways with controlled access, highways and roads with limited access, and then a direct jump downward to low-volume streets. In all cases, the new regulations exempted existing roadways from conversion, but some city governments independently removed, re-routed, or rebuilt existing avenues to separate street-like and highway-like roadways. Similarly, from 2017 onward, the MoTC's planning directorate adopted an informal best practice of routing new expressways around the outskirts of towns and small cities wherever possible.
Starting in 2019, the MoTC began drafting a new set of nationwide road building standards, evaluating both international best practices and domestic regulatory experiments in order to arrive at the best outcome. Several non-government organizations and independent experts, including some from outside Menghe, were invited to submit advisory briefs. The new regulations were presented to the National Assembly in April 2021 and signed into law on May 2nd; they entered into force on July 1st.
New classification scheme
Trunk roads
Trunk roads, or gansŏn doro (간선 도로 / 幹線道路), are the highest-capacity category in the new road classification system, equivalent to expressways, motorways, freeways, or throughways in other countries. They were previously designated as gansŏn gosok gukdo, or national high-speed trunk roads, in Menghean, and the Anglian translation of "expressways" is still in wide use, though the MoTC now recommends "trunk road" as the official technical translation.
Previous regulations adopted in the 1990s specified that trunk roads must be strictly controlled-access roadways, with no intersections, at-grade crossings, traffic signals, or direct property access, except in the form of specialized onramps and offramps. All are built as dual carriageways with a central reservation or concrete barrier in between opposing directions of traffic and guard rails on either side. The 2021 rationalization scheme largely carried forward the original definitional regulations around trunk roads, but also required that they be routed around city-center areas to the greatest extent feasible, and forbade new trunk road construction in natural parks and nature reserves.
Trunk roads are planned, built, and maintained by the central government via the MoTC, hence their original classification as gukdo (national roads). They are numbered with a Sinmun letter ㄱ (G) followed by a two-digit number for major expressways or a four-digit number for ring roads, secondary routes, or special branch lines: for example, G75 or G1201.
Branch roads
Branch roads, or jisŏn doro (지선 도로 / 支線道路), are the next category in the road classification system. This category merged the previously separate categories of roads (doro) and highways (jisŏn doro) into a single classification with a single set of design practices. Accordingly, branch roads have the most diverse layouts in practice: they may be either single carriageways or dual carriageways, with as few as one lane in either direction or as many as three. They are also merely limited access: they may feature onramps, offramps, interchanges, and elevated crossings in certain areas, but they may also feature traffic circles, at-grade crossings, and conventional three- or four-way intersections.
While allowing for some variation in branch road construction to suit urban and rural needs, the NLRR did lay down new guidelines for the rationalization of branch roads, including the following:
- Conventional intersections with more than five entrances are strictly prohibited, and must be adjusted via the relocation of one entrance or converted into roundabouts.
- Bike lanes running alongside a branch road must be separated by a curb, sidewalk, or other barrier, rather than painted road markings alone.
- Trams must have their own dedicated lane, which is not shared with road traffic; reserved bus lanes are also recommended for high-volume bus routes.
- Traffic lanes on a branch road must be separated, at a minimum, by road markings; lanes on branch roads are also wider than vehicle clearances on streets.
- Parallel parking spaces may not be placed alongside a branch road.
- Branch roads should be optimized for a speed limit of 100 km/h, though speed limit reductions around sharp curves are permitted.
Many of the more impactful changes from the NLRR reclassification are buried in the more detailed regulations surrounding branch road construction. Direct property access to branch roads, while not entirely forbidden, is strictly limited. Instead, urban planning best practices included with the NLRR recommend using streets as shared accessways or frontage roads to minimize the number of points at which vehicles enter or exit a branch road. Exceptions may be made on low-volume branch roads in rural areas, where a shared accessway would not be cost-efficient, or for the access points of major buildings like hospitals, where something resembling a dedicated onramp or offramp may be installed. The NLRR also recommends using frontage roads to reduce the number of conventional intersections on branch roads, thereby smoothing the flow of traffic.
Civilian road users also face more stringent regulations on branch roads. Roadside parking is forbidden outside of approved rest areas and during emergencies, and motor vehicles with a safe maximum speed of under 50 km/h are forbidden from driving on branch roads. Branch roads may have pedestrian crossings, but jaywalking outside of these crossings is strictly prohibited. Road traffic yields to bicycles on street-linked roundabouts, but bicycyles and pedestrians yield to road traffic on branch road roundabouts.
Trunk roads in a municipality (bu) or directly-controlled city (jikhalbu) are managed by the city government, while trunk roads in a prefecture (hyŏn) or league (maeng) are managed by the provincial government one level up.
Rural roads
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Rural roads (sigol doro, 시골 도로 / --道路) were not a category in Insŏng's experimental three-tier reclassification, but some less developed cities introduced them in their own municipal policy experiments, and the MoTC recognized them as a separate category in the NLRR. Rural roads are roads in the sense that they serve mainly to bring automobiles between two destinations, but they typically lack the traffic volume of a branch road and may serve remote or at least low-density areas.
The NLRR exempts rural roads from many of the regulations placed on branch roads. Properties adjacent to a rural road are allowed to establish driveway or parking lot connections without local Transportation Bureau approval, and vehicles with a safe maximum speed of under 50 km/h are allowed to drive on rural roads, a vital provision for farmers transporting farm equipment and animal-drawn carts. Walking and cycling on the shoulder of a rural road is legal, and vehicles may pull over on the side of a road to park, as long as they are not obstructing the flow of traffic. Rural roads are not required to carry road markings, and may be narrow enough that only one vehicle may travel in either direction, with one vehicle pulling to the side to allow another to pass; the administering governments are responsible for expanding and marking rural roads to handle higher traffic loads on an as-needed basis. The maximum speed limit for rural roads is 60 km/h, though this is typically reduced on narrow, winding, or restricted-visibility rural roads.
Rural roads in a municipality are managed by the municipal government. In a prefecture or league, they are managed by county, city, or banner governments. Because cities (si) and municipalities (bu and jikhalbu) also administer their surrounding rural areas, rural roads may exist in city and municipal administered areas.
Streets
Streets (siga, 시가 / 市街) are the lowest level of roadway in built-up areas. They are streets in the strict sense, designed to support low volumes of low-speed traffic. In the broader three-tier system, branch roads are meant to take cars from the trunk road to a point near their destination, and streets are meant to take cars the final distance from the nearest branch road to their destination. Though primarily designed to serve cars, NLRR streets are mixed-use; pedestrians, bicycles, automobiles, buses, and trams may share the same right-of-way.
The NLRR states that streets cannot have a speed limit in excess of 30 km/h, and even recommends restricting lane widths and omitting road markings as a form of traffic calming. In some cases, groups of streets may be separated from one another by gates or bollards to discourage drivers from using them as alternative routes, while leaving the connections open to pedestrians and bicycles. Depending on traffic volume, streets may have fully curb-separated sidewalks and bicycle lanes, advisory cycle lanes that motorists may use to bypass oncoming cars, or a shared right-of-way for all types of traffic.
While the NLRR's street regulations constrain urban planners, they also offer citizens more freedom. Pedestrians are allowed to cross streets at any and all points along their route, and vehicles must yield to them. Parallel parking and curbside unloading are also permitted, though both may be limited to certain hours or zones.
Streets are managed by the city government in a municipality, directly-controlled city, or county-level city (si). In a county which is subordinate to a prefecture or league, streets are managed by the town (ri) or township (myŏn) government.
Other categories
Avenues are the designation given to wide, high-volume, multi-lane roads with frequent intersections and numerous public and private access points, similar in size and function to stroads. Many of these were built prior to the adoption of the National Law on Road Rationalization in 2021, and due to their size and ubiquity, are expected to remain in use for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the NLRR recognizes them as a pre-existing regulatory category, but forbids their use in all new construction projects.
Pedestrian roads (bodo, 보도 / 步道) are streets designed primarily for use by pedestrians and cyclists, often as living streets meant to serve as social spaces. The term broadly encompasses pedestrian zones, shared use paths, and access routes in a pedestrian village, as well as alleys, park paths, and narrow streets in many historical or tourist areas. Menghean bodo are mixed-use and free from road markings, making them distinct from sidewalks, which permit pedestrians but not bicycles, and bike paths, which permit bicycles but not other forms of traffic. In some cases, depending on size and zoning, pedestrian roads may allow limited access for service vehicles, emergency vehicles, and vehicles owned by local residents, typically regulating entry by means of retractable bollards, gates, or security guards. Yet because they are not open to regular through traffic, pedestrian roads are not considered part of the national roadway network, and are not directly subject to NLRR regulations. Instead, they are managed and regulated by individual ward, town, and township governments.
Bike paths (jajŏngŏ gil) are independent rights-of-way reserved exclusively for bicycles, motor scooters, or other light vehicles, but off-limits to both automobiles and pedestrians. As proper bike paths rather than bike lanes, they are separated from road traffic by a curb at least 10cm in width, often wider, and often accompanied by a raised barrier of some kind as well. Bike paths are also distinguished from shared use paths by the presence of road markings, including separate lanes for opposing directions of travel, arrows marking directions of travel, and crosswalks for pedestrians. The 2021 National Law on Road Rationalization set standard guidelines for the separation of bike paths from branch roads, but as of 2022, municipal, city, and county governments are still responsible for setting their own guidelines on the construction and design of bike paths, and only a few cities make widespread use of them.
Rural paths (sigol gil) are unpaved and often unmarked roads present in some rural areas. They are considered legal roadways by the MoTC, but they exist largely outside its regulatory sphere, and are typically planned, built, and maintained by town or township governments or even individual village committees. The NLRR contains no guidelines on rural paths, except to recommend that municipal and county governments convert them to paved streets or rural roads, or at least coordinate with town and township governments to surface them with gravel.
Private roadways are also exempted from the NLRR guidelines. This umbrella category encompasses not only driveways and gated accessways, but also test tracks and vehicle routes within a large facility such as an airport or factory. Many of these roadways are streets by default, but they are not considered part of the national road network, and they are governed by separate safety and clearance regulations.
Implementation
The National Law on Road Rationalization entered into force on 1 July 2021, meaning that all new road construction projects approved after that date must classify their roadways as one of the four approved types and follow the relevant regulations on road structure and road amenities.
With regard to existing roads, the NLRR recognizes existing constructions as "legal," but provides a variety of timetables for the conversion of existing noncompliant roadways to one of the approved types. Some of these timetables are prompt and binding: for example, municipal and provincial goverments must correct all branch road intersections with more than four entry points by 1 January 2025, by either moving one or more connections to an adjoining road or building a roundabout on the site. The timelines for deleting parallel parking spaces and unprotected bike lanes alongside branch roads are similarly urgent. By contrast, the 2021 NLRR only recommends that cities convert avenues to legal roadway types as the local situation permits, with no deadline and no enforceable requirement.
Even without binding requirements, many Menghean cities have independently launched development programs to rationalize their existing non-compliant roadways. The MoTC's recommended solution for rationalizing avenues is to convert them into central branch roads flanked by frontage roads, with free-flowing traffic in the center and low-speed property access and pedestrian streets on the sides. This solution also doubles as a road diet, forcing urban planners to delete lanes. Other cities have pursued more serious road diets by converting four-lane avenues to two-lane streets with wide pedestrian and bike spaces, or blocked off car traffic altogether to create pedestrian zones.
On this basis, some critics have alleged that the real motivation behind the Road Rationalization movement was to renew demand for the construction industry in Menghe. After decades of spectacular economic growth, Menghe's construction industry began hitting surplus capacity in the 2010s: with all major cities connected to the expressway network and urbanization slowing down, most of the remaining large-scale road construction projects served markets with dubious demand. Against this backdrop, the conversion of city-center infrastructure to comply with the NLRR could provide a second wind of road construction demand, while allowing city and provincial governments to keep running up debts.
As with many large-scale Menghean policy campaigns, the NLRR led some local governments to comply in an overly enthusiastic fashion. Some converted avenues to branch roads by raising speed limits and putting barriers along the sides, cutting off parking lots and in some cases trapping private vehicles. Others reclassified avenues as streets without reducing lane counts, in violation of the NLRR's finer rules. Shortly after the law was passed, there were many reports of town governments demolishing noncompliant and even compliant intersections without setting up detours for road traffic. On 9 May 2022, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications issued an advisory statement reminding local governments to follow the letter as well as the spirit of the NLRR and rationalize roads in a sustainable and efficient way.