Chaired by newly appointed Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President Chao Wai Ieng, the Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council held its first plenary meeting for 2025 yesterday, during which a number of its members raised their concerns about improving the supporting facilities of the newly-established open-air performance venue in Cotai with a view to promoting the development of Macau’s aim of becoming a “City of Performing Arts”.
Yesterday’s meeting at the Seac Pai Van Community Complex in Coloane was Chao’s first public meeting since taking office as IAM president on New Year’s Day.
Wong Leong Kuan, deputy convener of the government-appointed council, suggested increasing the number of free public bus routes to and from the city centre and central Taipa; setting up clear traffic signs or deploying additional staff to provide guidance for dispersing concert crowds; and further increasing the frequency of the Light Rail Transit (LRT). She quoted the views received after the trial gig at Cotai’s open-air performance venue on December 28 as indicating that the guidelines on temporary traffic arrangements there were “unclear”, the capacity of the LRT was insufficient to meet passenger demand, and there was a lack of adequate parking facilities in the surrounding areas.
She also suggested that the government, through its Coordination Group for Large-Scale Performances, coordinate with the integrated resort (IR) operators in the vicinity of the open-air performance venue to jointly provide shuttle bus services for concertgoers, pointing out that “this would help ease the dispersal of crowds and attract customers for the relevant IR operators”.
Fellow member Ha Chon Ieng, who also suggested that the government continue to optimise public transport between the open-air performance venue and various districts, upgrade transport planning and ancillary facilities, as well as improve the provision of additional shuttle bus service, he also urged the government to adopt a “forward-looking” approach in its planning by making use of the four functional zones of the performance venue in a “flexible” manner, such as by providing additional exits and bus stops in each of the four zones.
He also suggested that the government, on the premise of ensuring safety, set up art installations, lighting installations and interactive installations at the performance venue to attract residents and tourists alike to continue to visit the area after the respective performance, so as to achieve the objective of easing the flow of people leaving the area in an orderly manner.
Fellow member Leong Chon Kit said that as the LRT is the main mode of transport for residents and tourists alike when accessing the performance venue, it was necessary for the government to push the operator to accept more payment options at the LRT stations’ gates and self-service ticket machines.
Apart from suggesting that the government further streamline its transport planning before another large-scale performances there, Un Su Kei, another fellow member, also suggested that the government consider allowing small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) operators to run their business at the open-air performance venue in a “pop-up mode” similar to Macau’s traditional “street-stall economy”.
Civic leaders from Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council as well as Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President Chao Wai Ieng (third from left, facing the camera) attend yesterday’s meeting at the Seac Pai Van Community Complex in Coloane. – Photo: Yuki Lei
