There were about 435,000 vehicles registered in Jeju last year - about twice as many as there were just a decade ago. That’s one of the mean reasons traffic congestion is becoming a huge problem for the island. Mike Balfour has more.

[slug]
Nohyeong-dong, Jeju City

Cars are lined up bumper to bumper. They are moving at limited speed.

The traffic continues to get worse as rush hour approaches.

INTERVIEW
Park Jae-seon / Bus Driver
It's terrible.
<인터뷰 : 박제선 / 버스기사>
“장난아니에요.”

Annual average daily traffic on local roads in 2015 was measured at 10,432.
That's 8.8 percent higher than the 9,590 of the year before.

The growth rate was more than double the national average of 4.2% and the highest among the nation's nine provinces.

Local Road 1136 in (노형동) Nohyeong-dong, Jeju City has the highest annual average daily traffic on the island.

The (광령리) Gwangryeong-ri Peace Road in (애월읍) Aewol-eup is the second busiest area and Ara 2-dong, Jeju City on the 5.16 Road, the third busiest area.

Experts say the heavier traffic is due to the increase in the number of registered cars and rental cars in Jeju. There were 123,000 vehicles registered in 2005. The number increased to 234,000 last year.

And there were 8,700 rental cars registered in 2005. The number was tripled to 29,000 between 2005 and 2015.

INTERVIEW
Oh Ju-sam / Civil engineering researcher
The number of vehicles registered in Jeju has doubled since 2005. There were 29,000 rental cars registered here last year - that's three times the 2005 total. Those increases contribute to the traffic congestion.
<인터뷰 : 오주삼 / 한국건설기술연구원 연구위원>
“제주도의 경우에는 자동차 등록대수가 과거 10년 동안에 100%이상 증가를 했고요. 그리고 제주만의 특징이라 할 수 있는 렌터차량 등록 대수가 2만9천대로 10년 전에 비해 3배 증가했습니다. 이러한 요인으로 (교통량이 늘어난 것으로…."”

[CAMERA]
Kim Yong-min

[REPORTER]
Mike Balfour

Along with the growing traffic volume, experts say that lower oil prices and the poor local public transportation system fuel the traffic congestion in Jeju.

Mike Balfour, KCTV