Civic leaders call for better crowd control after Cotai Strip NYE chaos

Following the New Year’s Eve countdown on the Cotai Strip, traffic chaos ensued, with mainland netizens criticizing Macau’s authorities for their inadequate public transport evacuation plan, sparking calls for the government to improve crowd management and evacuation protocols for large-scale events.

Police later estimated that approximately 65,000 people were present at the scene during the peak period that day. A bus driver who passed through the route that evening also told the Times that bus stops throughout Cotai were packed with people, describing the conditions as extremely chaotic and admitting he had never witnessed such a scene before.

As reported, the transfer passageway from Light Rail Transit’s (LRT) Lotus Station to the Hengqin Line was packed with passengers, prompting the Hengqin Line to deploy four additional train cars to accommodate the crowd.

The incident was revisited yesterday, as several civic leaders expressed concerns during an Islands District Community Service Consultative Council meeting about crowd management and evacuation plans for large-scale events.

According to the meeting, the recommendations include establishing coordination groups involving event organizers and local representatives during the early stages of future event approvals, with the aim that these groups would develop more precise contingency plans for crowd and traffic flow projections, evacuation route planning, and public transport capacity allocation.

Additionally, it was noted that technology could be leveraged to forecast passenger volumes and simulate crowd management scenarios. The integration of shuttle bus resources from surrounding businesses would provide clear transportation guidance for visitors, while temporary mobile base stations near large event venues would help alleviate poor mobile signal issues during gatherings.