Findings of a survey conducted by the Macao New Chinese Youth Association (MNCYA) show that local residents’ average acceptable walking time is 29 minutes, and about 74 percent of the respondents said they were able to accept a walk of 20 minutes or more each time, according to the association’s statement yesterday.
The findings of the survey were released during a press conference held at the association’s office on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais yesterday. Statistically, females, young respondents living on the peninsula and those with children were willing to accept longer walking times than others, according to the findings.
The street survey was carried out in May and June, when the association collected 769 valid questionnaires at random from pedestrians aged between 18 and 44 living in Macau, according to the statement.
Findings of the survey found that more than 57 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the existing conditions for pedestrians in Macau, while 60 percent suggested that the pedestrian system should be better connected to public transport stops such as bus stops and taxi ranks.
Therefore, the association suggested that the government should create a “20-minute comfortable walking circle” that is safe, convenient, accessible and friendly, and set up a misting cooling system in pedestrian areas or mobile misting fans at particularly busy foot traffic areas, in order to give thermal respite in an overheated urban environment.
Besides, the association also suggested that the main entrances to and exits from the city’s elevated walkways should be connected to major public transport routes such as large-scale bus interchanges and Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations, so as to create more incentives for green traffic.
This handout photo provided by the Macao New Chinese Youth Association (MNCYA) yesterday shows five of its representatives looking on during a press conference about their “Macau Walking System Survey”, at its office on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais.
