This year, during the Lunar New Year holiday, traffic congestion is expected to peak around 5 p.m. on the 24th, the day before the holiday, while the most severe traffic congestion on the return trip is predicted for the 29th, the day of the holiday.
Tmap Mobility and SK Telecom announced on the 22nd their predictions for daily and hourly travel times from Seoul to major areas such as Gwangju, Busan, Daejeon, and Gangneung, based on past Tmap (TMAP) travel data during holiday periods.
The peak congestion time for the outbound journey is expected to be in the afternoon of the 24th, the day before the Lunar New Year holiday. It is anticipated that, around 5 p.m. on that day, the trip from ▲Seoul to Busan will take a maximum of 6 hours and 51 minutes, while the trip from ▲Seoul to Gwangju is estimated to take about 5 hours and 18 minutes. The trip from ▲Seoul to Daejeon will also start experiencing congestion from 2 p.m., with a maximum travel time expected to be 4 hours and 37 minutes. In contrast, the journey from ▲Seoul to Gangneung is projected to be more congested on the 26th than on the 24th, with an estimated travel time of 4 hours and 18 minutes during lunchtime on that day.
Traffic congestion on the outbound journey is expected to ease from late night on the 24th, returning to normal levels by midnight on the 25th. During that time, the trip from ▲Seoul to Gwangju is forecasted to take 3 hours and 29 minutes, ▲Seoul to Busan 4 hours and 35 minutes, ▲Seoul to Daejeon 2 hours and 10 minutes, and ▲Seoul to Gangneung 2 hours and 41 minutes, indicating a smooth flow on all routes.
On the 25th, the start of the holiday, traffic congestion on the outbound route is expected to increase again around lunchtime, and it is projected to return to normal levels starting the 30th. Additionally, on the 29th, the day of the Lunar New Year, reverse traffic impacts are also anticipated around lunchtime. During that time, it is expected that the trip from ▲Seoul to Busan will take 6 hours and 32 minutes, and from ▲Seoul to Gwangju, about 4 hours and 20 minutes.
In terms of the return trip, traffic congestion is expected to gradually increase from 7 a.m. on the 29th, peaking around noon. At noon that day, the trip from ▲Busan to Seoul is expected to take a maximum of 7 hours and 42 minutes, while from ▲Gwangju to Seoul it is predicted to take a maximum of 5 hours and 29 minutes. The trip from ▲Daejeon to Seoul is also expected to take around 3 hours and 42 minutes around 1 p.m., and the trip from ▲Gangneung to Seoul is predicted to take 5 hours and 20 minutes at noon.
The day with the least traffic congestion on the return trip is confirmed to be the early morning of the 30th (midnight to 2 a.m.). During that time, the trip from ▲Busan to Seoul is expected to take around 4 hours and 31 minutes. Additionally, the trip from ▲Gwangju to Seoul is also anticipated to take about 3 hours and 32 minutes, while the trip from ▲Daejeon to Seoul is expected to take around 2 hours and 10 minutes. The trip from ▲Gangneung to Seoul is predicted to return to normal traffic levels, taking 2 hours and 39 minutes from 11 p.m. on the 29th.
Meanwhile, Tmap Mobility plans to inform users about features for convenience during this Lunar New Year holiday, including the display of free parking lots, changes to toll-free access on highways, integration of newly opened roads, and expanded application of bus-only lane operations.