Vox pop by Armindo Neves
According to a statement by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau last week, in order to manage the expected increase in pedestrian and traffic flow in Old Taipa Village and the Ruins of St Paul’s area during the National Day/Mid-Autumn Golden Week, both areas will temporarily be pedestrianised, from today through October 7 between noon and 7 p.m.
In the peninsula’s old quarters, the pedestrianisation will cover the entire Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo (關前後街) during the eight-day period, when a section of Rua dos Mercadores (營地大街) and Travessa do Armazém Velho (爛鬼樓巷) will be closed to vehicular traffic and all parking spaces in the area will be suspended between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. every day. Additionally, parking spaces in the area have already been suspended since Sunday, September 28 and will remain so until October 8.
Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo (關前後街) is a street in a neighbourhood colloquially known in Cantonese as “Laahn Gwai Lau” (爛鬼樓 – “Dilapidated Ghost Building”).
A male resident told the Post yesterday that the designation of “Laahn Gwai Lau” as a pedestrianised area would make it inconvenient for parking his motorcycle. The resident, who asked not to be named, said that he will need to move his motorbike elsewhere once the pedestrianisation begins and will only be able to retrieve it in the evening. In his opinion, the measure will have only a limited effect on boosting the local economy, as most pedestrians just pass through the area quickly without spending money in shops there. He voiced a sense of resignation about the vehicular traffic control measures.
A woman working in the area as a barista told the Post that while she expects the pedestrianisation to increase foot traffic, the actual benefits to local businesses would remain limited, as most tourists pass through the neighbourhood quickly without stopping to spend. She highlighted the practical inconvenience caused by the policy, noting that her employer now has to park his car at the rather distant “Pak Kong Carpark” near Ponte 16 Hotel. Criticising the government’s pedestrianisation planning as inadequate, she said that the lack of on-the-ground assessment of local needs had resulted in a superficial policy that failed to effectively revitalise the community economy.
Pedestrians walk past shops on Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo in the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Macau’s “Laahn Gwai Lau” neighbourhood yesterday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
