The “Old Taipa” area will be pedestrianised during the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday from January 29 to February 4, with a shuttle bus service to be provided for people with limited mobility living there, Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Yau Yun Wah said yesterday.
Yau made the remarks during a press conference announcing the arrangement for the upcoming temporary pedestrianisation of “Old Taipa” district during the festive period, and representatives from the Transport Bureau (DSAT), Public Security Police (PSP), Macau Government Tourism Bureau (MGTO), Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) co-hosted the press conference.
The pedestrianisation of “Old Taipa” district will be implemented for the third time, with the view of enhancing public safety and improving the travel experience for residents and visitors alike, and also to cope with the large flow of people and vehicles expected in the area during the CNY holiday.
The “Old Taipa” area is the junction of Rua de Fernão Mendes Pinto (飛能便度街) and Rua do Supico (素啤古街), the junction of Rua Correia da Silva (告利雅施利華街) and Rua Governador Tamagnini Barbosa (巴波沙總督街), as well as the section between Calçada do Quartel (澳門兵房斜巷) and Avenida de Carlos da Maia (嘉路士米耶馬路).
Yau said that after listening to the views of the community and commercial tenants, and in order to cater for the travelling needs of people with limited mobility in the pedestrian area where bus diversions will be implemented, a dedicated seven-seat shuttle bus will be arranged in the temporary pedestrian area to pick up residents from designated locations in the pedestrian area for travelling to and from the temporary bus stops, and members of the public will be provided with the shuttle bus service upon registration.
Yau said he would collect information and publicise the booking method through the Macau Federation of Neighbourhood Associations (commonly known as Kai Fong in Cantonese), and a working group will be set up accordingly, adding that it would not be difficult to implement the shuttle bus service as not many people live in “Old Taipa”.
Kai Fong Chairman Chan Ka Leong underlined that his organisation was launching a registration process to determine the number of potential users, and emphasised that even if there was no pre-registration, advance booking could be made if necessary, and that the service could be booked from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the holiday period.
When asked about the inconvenience for food couriers to pick up meals during the implementation of the pedestrian zone, Yau responded that not many people were expected to use the delivery service during the pedestrianisation, adding he hoped that residents and shop operators would understand that the pedestrian zone would be more convenient due to the recent launch of the “one-trip-per-week” entry permits for permanent Zhuhai residents and “multiple-entry permits” for Hengqin residents, as more visitors were expected in pedestrianised zone than during last year’s CNY and National Day “Golden Week” holidays.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Yau Yun Wah (centre) and other government officials pose before a press conference announcing the arrangements for the temporary pedestrianisation of the “Old Taipa” area during the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, at the Luso International Banking Building yesterday in Nam Van. – Photo: Ginnie Liang
