Culture Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man told reporters yesterday that after listening to the views of business operators in the “Rua da Felicidade” pedestrian precinct and balancing the different voices of the two sides, the bureau will endeavour to remove the vehicular traffic restrictions at Travessa do Aterro Novo and Travessa do Mastro “no later than this month”, while lawmaker Ron Lam U Tou told the Post that “residents and business operators’ views on various aspects of the whole pedestrian precinct have not been adequately responded to throughout the year”.
The pedestrianisation project has been implemented on a trial basis since September 29 last year, with a number of streets, including Rua da Felicidade (“福隆新街”), also known as the “Street of Bliss” in English, Travessa do Mastro, Travessa do Aterro Novo and Travessa de Ho Lo Quai closed to vehicular traffic daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The pedestrianisation, jointly launched by the government and integrated resort operator Wynn Resorts, has been in place for one year, during which quite a number of business operators have complained that the pedestrian precinct has mainly caused inconvenience to the vehicular traffic there and their business has become sluggish as a result, with the hope that the government will abolish the pedestrianisation of Rua da Felicidade and fully reopen the area to cars.
On September 19, directly-elected lawmaker-cum-current affairs commentator Lam, together with some businesspeople in the pedestrian precinct, held a press briefing to express their views on the pedestrianisation project, during which Lam told the media, including the Post, that many of the precinct’s business operators believed that the vehicular traffic curbs has greatly affected the foot traffic there and hence their business, demanding that the government cancel the pedestrianisation project and restore vehicular traffic as soon as possible. Lam, on that day, also sent separate petitions to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng and the sixth-term chief executive candidate Sam Hou Fai, complete with 41 signatures.
Talking to the Post yesterday at his office on Rua do Matapau, Lam made it clear that before meeting the media, the business operators in the pedestrian precinct had met with IC President Leong to express their aspirations for the reopening of vehicular traffic there before the National Day Golden Week, in the hope of attracting more business. Lam also said that both sides – the bureau and business operators – had reached a consensus at that time to reopen Travessa do Aterro Novo and Travessa do Mastro to vehicles as soon as possible, when the bureau also told them that they would consider shortening the duration of the vehicular traffic curbs in Rua da Felicidade: “A timetable was still needed even though the government said it needed time to study the viability of the business operators’ idea, so I took the initiative to ask the government to reply within one week and at that time the government did not have any objections. However, after eight days passed, on the morning of September 27 [last Friday], the government said that due to the fact that the National Day was approaching, some cultural and artistic activities would be held in the area in the hope of boosting the flow of pedestrian traffic and, therefore, the vehicular traffic adjustments to the pedestrian precincts would only be announced as soon as possible after the National Day”.
Sheets of paper with the Chinese words “Demanding the government honour its promise immediately” in big letters and a one-page news report about the request by business operators in the pedestrian precinct to reopen the area to vehicular traffic have been pasted on most of the doors and front walls of the restaurants and shops there, and Lam said that all these were put up by business operators on their own initiative to express their views: “I believe that public opinion is very clear, if the government doesn’t do anything, then don’t tell us that it trusts public opinion and listens to public opinion, but it has now adopted a ‘perverse attitude’ and the residents have already given it enough patience”.
Speaking to the media after the opening of the “Bairro da Ilha Verde Library” yesterday, Leong said that in the year of the pedestrianisation project being implemented, the bureau had certainly listened to different voices, including those of the business operators who, she insisted, had said that the project “was really helpful” and also those who had underlined the adverse impacts brought about by the project, adding that after communicating with a number of the business operators there, an agreement was reached, according to which some wished to retain the pedestrian precinct unchanged, while, at the same time, others said they hoped that the vehicular traffic restriction in the area could be appropriately adjusted to cope with the demand for dropping off and picking up passengers, as well as loading and unloading goods.
She went on to say that after collecting views from various parties, the bureau considered that it was now the right time to conduct a further review and enhancement of the pedestrian precinct, reaffirming that the government’s revitalisation programme on the city’s old quarters aims to assist businesses and residents alike in improving their businesses and living environment and, therefore, the bureau has always attached importance to the views of the residents in order to ensure good communication between the two sides.
According to Leong, in view of the large number of activities to be held in the pedestrianised area during the National Day holiday from today, the bureau will endeavour to implement the new traffic arrangements in the area after the National Day during this month.
Meanwhile, Leong also said she expected the number of visitors to Macau’s cultural facilities, such as the Macau Museum of Art (MAM) in Nape and six old quarters under the government’s revitalisation programme to increase by two to three times, compared to normal days.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man speaks to reporters after yesterday’s opening ceremony of the “Bairro da Ilha Verde Library”. – Photos: Yuki Lei
This photo taken yesterday shows one of the A3 sheets with the words “Demanding the government honour its promise immediately” in big letters and a one-page news report about the request by business operators in the pedestrian precinct to reopen the area to vehicular traffic on the front wall of a shop in the “Rua da Felicidade” pedestrian precinct.
