A trial pedestrianisation of Rua da Felicidade will take place on the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has announced.
Rua da Felicidade (meaning ‘street of happiness’ in Portuguese) served as Macao’s red light district in the 1940s, and has featured as a backdrop in films due to its 19th-century Chinese architecture.
On 29 September and again on 1 October, a vehicle-free zone will be declared at Rua da Felicidade, Travessa do Mastro, Travessa do Aterro Novo, Rua do Matapau and Travessa de Hó Lo Quai between 11 am and 1 am the following morning.
During the pilot, the streets will host cultural shows, art installations, and a night market, with the aim of revitalising the area through boosting foot traffic, according to secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U.
At a press conference on Sunday, Ao Ieong noted that almost 80 percent of commercial tenants and residents in the area were in favour of pedestrianisation. She would not reveal what the project was costing the government, but said support was being given by gaming concessionaire Wynn.
[See more: The temporary pedestrianisation of San Ma Lou caused a host of problems]
A significant amount of work is involved in the scheme, including the widening of pedestrian spaces, repaving roads, street light improvements, and the installation of new road signs.
Instructions for vehicles will be issued prior to 29 September, and the Transport Bureau is working with public bus operators to manage changes in passenger demand.
Ao Ieong said that the scheme would be reviewed in a year’s time, and held on a regular basis if deemed a success.
This will be the second pedestrianisation pilot carried out in Macao. The first, on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (popularly known as San Ma Lo), cost 2.6 million patacas and was held over five days in January and February this year.
