Developer suggests ‘more practical’ transportation system amid cable car proposal

View from a cable car in Chongqing

The proposed cable car between New Urban Zone A and ZAPE District will not be a feasible means of diverting traffic, according to a Macau architect who is currently in the U.S.

A month or so ago, the government announced that the prototype plan for the next 10 years of land transport in Macau was open for public consultation. In the document, it proposes that a cable car system be built to connect the southernmost end of Zone A with the tip of ZAPE District, where the Macao Science Center now sits.

The public consultation period will end on July 22. Opinions can be submitted online at https://www.dsat.gov.mo/planning/survey.aspx or by email to comment-planning@dsat.gov.mo.

While commenting on the proposal to the Times, Zakarie Man, an architect and real estate developer, suggested that the project might be viable for tourism but less so for daily commuting.

Man is originally from Macau and is now operating real estate developments in the U.S.

He pointed out that cable car systems running on quick rotations – such as those in skiing resorts – typically have low capacity and the systems are often also small-scale.

These small-scale systems will not be able handle a large number of passengers in each carriage. Taking the cable car systems at Guia Hill or the Wynn Palace resort as examples, each carriage can only accommodate four to eight passengers.

In contrast, larger systems, such as the Changjiang River crossing system in Chongqing, China, and the Air Tram in New York City, U.S, are able to take more passengers in a carriage – up to 50 – but the rotation time is longer than systems of a smaller scale.

“Each trip on the Chongqing system takes 3.6 minutes, for instance,” Man pointed out.

The Chongqing system handles a daily passenger count of 30,000 and operates at a maximum speed of 36 km/h.

He concluded that low circulation is the reason why such systems could not be popular in cities with high commuting requirements.

Man added that, according to the Urban Master Plan, the population of Zone A will eventually reach 96,000 people. Given this, the developer suggests that more practical transportation systems be prioritized to meet the city’s needs.

He also mentioned the need to ensure that new facilities would not exert extra pressure on existing traffic, noting that in pre-Covid times, the road network around the Science Center was already congested for almost the entire day. He worries that driving more tourists from Zone A directly to ZAPE would place further pressure on the traffic through the reclaimed land.

An earlier announcement from the government appeared to lean towards the larger-scale systems previously mentioned. The prototype plan, meanwhile, was conducted by a team from Chongqing.

Echoing popular public opinion, Man also pointed out that climate and weather-related factors will also weigh heavily on the system’s feasibility.

The Chongqing system is able to operate safely at a maximum wind speed of 54 km/h. The criteria for typhoon signal No 3 in Macau includes sustained winds of 41 to 62 km/h and gusts of 110 km/h. Forty-one kilometers per hour is also the threshold for the issuance of the strong monsoon signal, which is also referred to as the “black ball.”

Despite acknowledging that the proposed cable car system may be attractive to tourists, the real estate developer foresees that additional supports would be needed to improve the proposed cable car system.

UNCLEAR PLANS

For the time being, the overall planning of the cable car system and its peripherals is unclear and requires further explanation from the government, according to Man. 

“Where will the station on Zone A be built? What will be built around the station?” Man asked. “Only with attractions on Zone A will passengers want to travel in both directions. Otherwise, the incentive to move from ZAPE to Zone A will be low,” Man said.

Moreover, he said that attractions on Zone A would help retain people on the new reclamation area after taking a cable car ride.

On alternative proposals to suggest to the government, Man said that it may be worth considering short bridges. “Construction is fast and easy,” he said. “Now the construction industry relies greatly on prefabrication techniques in building large-scale infrastructures. The body of the bridge can be built in parts and assembled on-site.”

He said that similar construction projects outside of Macau have been completed in as little time as two weeks. “It is also adjustable,” he said. “When detours or higher capacities are needed, it can easily be expanded.”

a call for feasible 

traffic connection

Prefabricated construction is not a new concept in Macau. High-end residential complex One Central and the current government housing projects on Zone A have used, or are already using, these techniques.

“Embracing a traditional cable car program for transportation by investigating opportunities to modernize and innovate is a way to diversify different points of attractions in Macau.  However, the priority should always be focused on providing a feasible traffic connection to Zone A,” Man concluded.

Once announced, the proposal stirred up heated debate across the city, both online and offline. Social media platforms were filled with comments mocking the proposal, alongside some in support of it.

In fact, attitudes towards the proposal varied both online and offline. Comments that supported the suggestion were mainly from the tourism sector and certain members in government advisory bodies.

For example, Andy Wu, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, told local media outlet Exmoo that the industry would welcome any proposals or projects that would attract tourists. As such, the industry was in support of the cable car proposal.

Giving existing information, Wu expected that the cable car system, if built, would allow passengers to view the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge during the ride. Judging from the popularity of the bridge before Covid-19, Wu believed that the cable car would be attractive to tourists.

At the same time, lawmaker Ella Lei spoke to the same media outlet and questioned the rationale behind the proposal. She noted that after 30 years, the Chongqing system has transformed into a tourist-oriented means of transport. “With Zone A being [mainly] a residential district, it is unclear if the cable car would be able to help cater to residential commuting needs,” Lei said.

When questioned on the sidelines of a government event, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng encouraged the public to make their voices heard, as the government would evaluate the feasibility of the project. “If it is not worthy, we will not do it,” the head of the government said.