AL PLENARY | Sai Van Bridge: Final decision on motorcycle lane by 1Q next year

The government is looking to make a final decision on whether to retain the special lane for motorcycles on Sai Van Bridge by the beginning of next year, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, told lawmakers at yesterday’s Legislative Assembly plenary meeting.
Mr Rosário said that the number of accidents on Sai Van Bridge decreased this year, which has led the government to believe that, “the motorcycle lane at the Sai Van Bridge is helping to improve road safety.”
There were 249 accidents involving motorcycles on the bridge in the first quarter of this year, representing a 7.8 percent decrease year-on-year.
A spoken enquiry delivered by lawmaker Zheng Anting triggered further debate, as legislators called on the government to improve road safety, bearing in mind drivers’ risky behavior and the growing number of cars and motorcycles crossing Macau’s bridges.
The lawmaker asked whether the administration has made an assessment of Sai Van Bridge’s provisional motorcycle lane, which began its trial operations in 2012. The Transport Bureau (DSAT) has been successively extending its operation since then.
“This is already the sixth time we’ve extended [the special lane’s operation]. By the beginning of next year I believe we could make a decision on whether to turn it into a permanent lane or to remove [the special lane],” the Secretary said.
Mr Rosário revealed that throughout the first quarter of this year, an average of 13,000 motorcycles crossed the Sai Van Bridge every day, representing a 17 percent increase year-on-year. Traffic volume is also higher than that of the Friendship Bridge, where about 9,200 motorcycles circulate every day.
Lawmakers presented further suggestions on how to improve road safety, namely by requesting the government to allow motorcycle circulation over Nobre de Carvalho (Middle) Bridge, or to open the Sai Van Bridge’s lower deck on a permanent basis, since it is currently only being used on typhoon days.
“We know that the bridge’s lower deck is used as a temporary measure, open to traffic during typhoons. Will there be any measures to ensure that this lower deck is open to traffic [regularly]?” lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho asked.
Other legislators have also suggested for the government ban motorcycles from crossing the Friendship Bridge, which has a high incident rate of road accidents.
Tsui Wai Kwan suggested that a “sister bridge” could be built right next to the Middle Bridge.
Au Kam San, Angela Leong, and Zheng Anting insisted that Macau’s oldest bridge should be open to motorcycles.
The Secretary, however, seemed reluctant to consider the idea. He recalled that about 100,000 people cross the Middle Bridge on a daily basis via public transportation. Macau’s oldest bridge is only open to taxis and public buses.
Therefore, turning it into a motorcycle-only bridge is not a feasible solution: “This would imply that the other two bridges would be used by 18 different bus routes [every day],” Mr Rosário said, adding that this would place additional pressure on Macau’s traffic, and would also increase the average waiting time of people trying to cross the bridge.
He stressed that to meet current traffic and city development needs, the Nobre de Carvalho Bridge will remain open to public transport only.
Moreover, the Secretary recalled that banning motorcycles on the Friendship Bridge has been suggested before, but the community did not reach a consensus on the matter.
Regarding the lower deck of Sai Van Bridge, the director of the Land, Public Works, and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), Li Canfeng, said that due to the LRT construction works, the deck is only open to the public when there’s a typhoon.
He added that studies have been conducted and in order to open it to traffic on a permanent basis, the deck would need to undergo renovation works, particularly on its ventilation system. This, however, cannot be done while the LRT construction works are underway.

FSS valuation report to be issued by year-end

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, has revealed that an actuarial valuation report on Macau’s Social Security Fund, which is currently being outlined by a Hong Kong expert, will be completed and submitted to the government by the year-end. Mr Tam added that the government is hoping to receive the report by November, and will disclose its findings to the general public in a timely manner.
The study will reflect upon FSS’s financial health, evaluating the amount and value of contributions, government allocations, and asset investment return, while also looking into how much money needs to be injected, or in the alternative, how much the contributions would need to be increased by in the future.