24 local
[Right to the City]
Two Successes For Safety In Transportation Emergencies Words and photos by Joey Nunez
S
afety is a human right and crucial for urban cities like Gwangju. As our city continues to develop, safety needs to be preserved and promoted, especially concerning public transportation. Adam Greenberg agrees, and this is his success story of reporting a problem to the Gwangju City Government. While riding the bus to school in July 2014, Greenberg noticed that all of the emergency hammers on buses were at the front and none were at the back. He realized the necessity of distributing these emergency hammers throughout the entire bus so that people would be able to escape from any location within the bus. But how does an international resident report something of this nature to the correct Korean authorities? Greenberg explored different options before contacting the 1330 Korean Tourist Information Center, a phone service that international residents can call for assistance at any time. A receptionist gave Greenberg the email address of a staff member in the Problem Solving Department. In the initial email to the department employee, Greenberg stated his view that having four emergency hammers next to each other above the entrance door was not ideal, and that it prevented those in the back from properly escaping. Attaching pictures to prove his point, Greenberg also recommended that spreading the hammers throughout the buses would be the best resolution. Emailing from Seoul, the staff member stated that his complaint would be forwarded to the right person within the transportation division of the Gwangju
February 2015.indd 22
2015-01-26
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