The predicted peak traffic times on the morning of the Lunar New Year are expected to be between 8 AM and 1 PM. As of noon, the estimated travel times from Seoul to Busan will be 7 hours and 36 minutes, to Gwangju 5 hours and 49 minutes, and to Daejeon 4 hours and 17 minutes.
Tmap Mobility recently announced the best departure times for this year’s Lunar New Year holidays (from the 21st to the 24th) based on travel data from the past five years: the optimal times to start your journey are after 11 PM on the 21st, before 5 AM or after 6 PM on the 22nd.
For the Seoul-Busan route, traffic is expected to surge starting at 3 AM on the 21st (5 hours and 18 minutes), peaking around 10 AM (7 hours and 31 minutes). This will be approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes longer than usual.
On the 22nd, the day of the Lunar New Year, peak congestion is expected at 10 AM (7 hours and 23 minutes), with time reducing to around 4 hours only after 6 PM.
The Seoul-Daejeon route is expected to see the highest traffic around 6 AM on the 21st and around noon on the 22nd, with travel times expected to range from 4 hours and 10 minutes to 4 hours and 30 minutes. This is about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer than regular travel time.
On the Seoul-Gwangju route, heavy congestion is anticipated between 4 AM to 2 PM on the 21st and 10 AM to 2 PM on the 22nd, with expected travel times of around 5 to 7 hours, which is about 1 hour and 50 minutes longer than normal.
Returning from Busan to Seoul on the day of the New Year, congestion is expected to start from 7 AM, with travel times estimated to reach a peak of 8 hours and 4 minutes by 11 PM. Regular traffic flow is likely to resume only after midnight.
Traffic into Seoul from Daejeon is expected to peak from 9 AM to 10 PM, while from Gwangju to Seoul, traffic is anticipated to be heaviest from 8 AM to 11 PM. Expected travel times are approximately 3 to 4 hours and 5 to 6 hours, respectively.
Tmap Mobility will provide several features during this Lunar New Year holiday period, including ▲adjusted bus lane monitoring hours ▲changes to highway tolls ▲improved images of complex intersections ▲temporary shoulder lane guidance ▲improved regulations for motorcycle restrictions.
The bus lane will be expanded from the day before the holiday, starting on the 20th until the 24th, operating from 7 AM until 1 AM the next day. From the 21st until midnight on the 24th, highway tolls will be waived except for certain privately operated toll roads.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr