Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San said yesterday that the government aims to launch a public consultation on the drafting of Macau’s land transport master plan for 2021 to 2030 in the first half of this year.
Lam made the remarks during a press conference after chairing a regular closed-door meeting of the government-appointed Traffic Consultative Council at his bureau.
Chongqing’s ‘3-dimensional’ traffic system
Lam also said that the Macau government will draft its land transport master plan with reference to the “three-dimensional” traffic system in the nation’s megacity of Chongqing which, he pointed out, is also a densely populated city with relatively limited space for road construction.
Lam did not reveal more details about Macau’s land transport master plan for 2021 to 2030.
Chongqing, nicknamed “mountain city”, features a hilly cityscape which is quite different from various other megacities in plains regions in the mainland.
Public bus services
Meanwhile, Lam said that “in accordance with the principle of making good use of the public coffers”, the government spent 970 million patacas last year on subsidising the operation of the city’s two public bus operators, which, he said, was less than that in 2020. According to Lam, there were 193 million public bus passengers last year, representing an average daily passenger number of 529,000, a 16-percent increase over 2020.
Macau has a population of about 680,000.
According to Lam, the highest daily number of bus passengers last year stood at 646,000. Lam also said that November saw the highest average daily passenger number of any month in 2021, which stood at around 570,000.
Lam also said that 46 extended-range electric public buses came into use last year, adding that 200 more such kind of e-buses have been delivered to Macau and will come into service soon. After the 200 electric buses come into use, new-energy public buses will account for more than 30 percent of the two public bus operators’ fleet.
‘Satisfied’ with bus services
Lam also noted that the first half of last year was the first assessment period after the government revised its assessment criteria on the city’s public bus services.
According to Lam, both public bus operators, Transmac and TCM, had their scores decreased. Transmac’s score dropped to B- for the first half of last year from B for the second half of 2020, while TCM’s score dropped to C+ from B during the same period.
A is the score’s top mark.
Lam insisted that the latest assessment results of the two public bus companies’ services, namely the first half of last year, were not very relevant to those in the previous assessment period since the government had meanwhile adjusted the evaluation criteria. However, Lam said, he was “satisfied” with the two bus companies’ service performances, but he thought that their service quality could be further improved.
Various traffic improvements
Meanwhile, Lam also said that his bureau will continue to promote smart traffic, such as by improving the collection of real-time traffic data, improving its alert and warning system about congested bus stops, and increasing the number of smart traffic lights. Lam also said that his bureau will gradually launch more e-services, such as renewing driving licences online.
Lam said that the government has started its design of a footbridge in Rua Norte do Patane (沙梨頭北街) – which is located near Fai Chi Kei and Ilha Verde.
Lam said that the government has improved the designs of 88 zebra crossings across the city over the past three years, adding that the government has started its project to improve the designs of 30 more zebra crossings in the city.
According to Lam, there will be 61 large-scale roadwork projects to be carried out in thoroughfares this year, an 11 percent increase year-on-year, such as a roadwork project making way for a rainwater pumping station in the southern area of the Inner Harbour, as well as road resurfacing work and the replacement of underground sewage and rainwater pipes in Rua de Pequim (北京街) and in Rua de Luís Gonzaga Gomes (高美士街) in Zape.
Lam pledged that his bureau is coordinating with entities involved in the roadwork projects with the aim of minimising the impact on residents and traffic alike.
E-wheelchairs to be regulated
Meanwhile, Lam also said that Macau does not have any law specifically regulating the use of electric wheelchairs, especially in terms of their speed limit. According to Lam, the government will propose to set a speed limit for electric wheelchairs in its future amendments to the Road Traffic Law, adding that the speed limit is six kilometres per hour in many countries and regions.
Lam said that his bureau will keep close communication with members of the Traffic Consultative Council and members from other sectors in civil society about how to regulate the use of electric wheelchairs.
Lam underlined that electric wheelchairs are medical aids used by pedestrians, meaning that by law they should only be used on pavements and should not travel on the road. Nevertheless, Lam said, electric wheelchair users can roll out onto the road if the pavement is too narrow, but they should return to the pavement as soon as possible.
Lam acknowledged that many roads and streets in Macau are very narrow, because of which his bureau will study with different segments of civil society on how to create a more friendly environment for the use of electric wheelchairs.
Lam said that the government will take the safety travel of electric vehicles into account in this year’s project to improve the design of 30 zebra crossings.
Transport Bureau (DSAT) Director Kelvin Lam Hin San (second from the right), Traffic Consultative Council Vice-Chairman Lam Chi Chiu (second from left), Transmac Deputy General Manager Kent Li Qijian (left) and TCM Managing Director Leung Mei Leng pose during yesterday’s press conference at the bureau’s headquarters in Estrada de D. Maria II. Photo: Ginnie Liang
