GOYANG — A plan to waive rush-hour tolls on the Ilsan Bridge, the only tolled crossing on the Han River, has cleared the Goyang City Council and moved into implementation.
The council passed a consent motion on a mutual cooperation agreement to make the bridge completely free during commuting hours at the first plenary session of its 308th regular session on the 26th, the city said. The city will now secure the institutional framework for the project and begin follow-up administrative steps, including enacting an ordinance and allocating a budget.
Ending the toll disparity on the Ilsan Bridge is a core campaign pledge of Goyang Mayor Min Kyung-sun, who criticized the fare structure as unreasonable during his time as a provincial council member. Since taking office, the mayor has made improving transportation welfare for residents of northwestern Gyeonggi Province a top priority and marshaled the city's administrative resources behind it.
Goyang is in talks with Gyeonggi Province and the neighboring cities of Gimpo and Paju on detailed implementation plans, aiming to begin the rush-hour waiver in July next year. With the motion approved, the city plans to strengthen cooperation with the council to revise related ordinances and secure the necessary funding without delay.
The city intends to treat the rush-hour support as a stepping stone toward eliminating tolls entirely. It will maintain a joint response framework with the province and partner local governments while pressing for central government funding to ease the burden on local finances.
"The Ilsan Bridge, the only tolled crossing among the Han River's 27 bridges, has long been a form of discrimination against residents of northwestern Gyeonggi Province in their right of passage," Min said. "This council vote is no more than the first hurdle cleared on the way to a full toll waiver, and we will do our utmost to restore full transportation rights as soon as possible."