The Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) hosted a press conference on Friday about the local government’s temporary pedestrianisation programme during the upcoming National Day/Mid-Autumn Festival’s Golden Week between this Wednesday (October 1) and next Wednesday (October 8).
DSEDT Director Yau Yun Wah said that the eight-day pedestrianisation would cost the government 1.4 million patacas.
The one-hour press conference was held at the DSEDT headquarters in Nam Van.
According to a DSEDT statement, in order to accommodate the peak visitor flow during the Golden Week and enhance the travel experience for both residents and tourists, the government will establish two temporary pedestrianisation zones from October 1 to October 7 between 12 noon and 7 p.m. daily, in Old Taipa Village and Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo (關前後街) – a street in a neighbourhood colloquially known in Cantonese as “Laahn Gwai Lau” (爛鬼樓).
These pedestrianisations aim to create a more comfortable and safer travel environment in Old Taipa Village and the vicinity of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ruins of St. Paul’s, the statement said.
The vicinity also includes one of Macau’s two Na Tcha Temples.
Yau said that the implementation of the temporary pedestrianisation of Old Taipa Village during previous festive periods had received widespread recognition and support from both locals and tourists.
Following visits to community associations, Yau said, commercial associations and schools in the two areas to gather comprehensive and synthesise public feedback, the interdepartmental task force of the government decided to relaunch the temporary pedestrianisation of Old Taipa Village during this year’s National Day Golden Week.
Additionally, a new temporary pedestrianisation zone will be set up in Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo, Yau said.
Yau stressed that the pedestrianisation of Rua de Nossa Senhora do Amparo would leverage the successful experience gained from Old Taipa Village, aiming to provide a higher quality and safer experience for residents and tourists alike during the Golden Week.
In order to enhance the festive atmosphere, the statement pointed out, the bureau, in conjunction with a number of commercial associations, would launch a string of consumption promotion activities for residents and tourists alike. Consumers who spend 50 patacas or more at designated shops or specialty markets in Taipa can present the receipts at the associations’ booths at the erstwhile Iec Long Firecracker Factory to redeem a 15th National Games gift, the statement said.
The gifts are available on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies last, the statement said.
Regarding traffic arrangements, the statement underlined that certain roads in and surrounding the Old Taipa Village pedestrianisation zone will be closed to vehicular traffic, while a section of Rua do Supico (素啤古街) will be converted into one-way traffic in the opposite direction, and all on-street metered parking spaces in the area will be suspended.
The statement also said that the temporary pedestrianisation comprising 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 between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. Additionally, parking spaces in the area were suspended yesterday until October 8.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Yau Yun Wah listens to a journalist’s question during Friday’s press conference about the upcoming National Day/Mid-Autumn Festival Golden Week pedestrianisation drive, at the bureau. – Photo: Armindo Neves
