In front of a crosswalk that crosses the South Circular Road in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. A "smart shade structure" was installed here on the 7th of last month. It operates in a way that the shade automatically unfolds when the temperature exceeds 15 degrees. This is a significant difference from the previous manual types, where a person had to unfold the shade by hand. Additionally, there are seats under the shade that can accommodate up to six people, allowing them to comfortably rest while waiting for the pedestrian signal.
A person surnamed Choi (78), who was met here around 11 a.m. on the 12th, said, "There used to be crosswalks without any shade even under the blazing sun, but now that the shade unfolds automatically, it's nice," adding, "Moreover, isn't it even better that there are seats?"
◇ Smart shade structures appeared from 2018... They account for 11% of the shades at crosswalks in Seoul
Local governments began installing shade structures in front of crosswalks starting in 2015. At that time, a manual type, which required a person to unfold the shade by hand, was introduced. The public response was positive, as it helped avoid waiting for pedestrian signals under the scorching sun.
However, the manual type had its limitations. Someone had to unfold the shade manually before sunrise. A person surnamed Kim (33), who has experience working in local government, noted, "In the summer, I struggled a lot to unfold the manual shades near my workplace," adding, "Residents often filed complaints about the shades not being unfolded."
The smart shade structure, which unfolds automatically unlike the manual type, has been in existence since 2018. It automatically unfolds when the temperature exceeds 15 degrees after sunrise. Some products have solar panels and do not require external power. Unlike the manual shade that either lacks seating or has only one seat, the smart shade can accommodate up to six people, which is also an advantage.
Additionally, the smart shade has a function that allows it to automatically fold in case of strong winds over 7 m/s to prevent damage. The manual shade requires a person to fold it if a sudden downpour or strong winds occur.
A worker surnamed Lee (30), met near Sadang Station on the 11th, said, "On a day when it was very windy, I saw that the smart shade across the road was folded, while the manual shade on the other side remained open and was swaying."
◇ The price of smart shades is five times that of manual ones... "Reduces resident complaints"
Smart shade structures are gradually increasing. Out of the 3,444 shades installed in Seoul, 401 (11.6%, as of May last year) are smart shades. Recently, Gangdong-gu decided to install 17 smart shades at a cost of over 14 million won. Additionally, Hanam City in Gyeonggi Province also installed all 343 shades as smart types last April.
There is a significant price difference between the existing manual shades and the smart shades. The price of one smart shade recently purchased by Gangdong-gu is about 8.2 million won. In contrast, purchasing a single manual shade costs about 1.5 million won. The price of smart shades is five times that of manual shades.
An official from Gangdong-gu said, "It is felt that the number of maintenance complaints has significantly decreased after replacing the existing manual products with smart shades."