The Cultural Affairs Bureau will be revising the pedestrianisation of Rua da Felicidade, its chief, Leong Wai Man, said on Monday in comments reported by multiple news outlets.
While details have yet to be unveiled, Leong said traffic restrictions currently placed on Travessa do Aterro Novo and Travessa do Mastro would be lifted, in order to facilitate the passage of vehicles as well as the loading and unloading of goods. Currently, no vehicles are allowed along key parts of the street – a tourism hotspot – between 11 am and 1 am.
She added that the original pedestrianisation plan, which has been in place since last September, was intended to benefit businesses and residents in the area. However, the government’s decision to redraw the Rua da Felicidade pedestrian zone comes in the wake of a public outcry by shop owners in the area.
[See more: Has the pedestrianisation of Rua da Felicidade backfired?]
They argue the scheme has not boosted their business volume, but rather inflated their rental prices and set up barriers for the delivery of supplies and the picking up of food orders.
Various stores on Rua da Felicidade were urging the government to act last Friday by reportedly posting, in their windows, A3 posters printed with a Jornal Do Cidadão report calling for the scrapping of the pedestrian zone.
On 19 September, lawmaker Lam U Tou spoke with the various business owners about their concerns, sending a letter to chief executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng and presumptive CE Sam Hou Fai, with the signatures of 41 store owners located in the district, asking for the government to review the scheme.
