[Photo: Melissandre Denize]
With tourist crowds overwhelming Taipa Village’s narrow roads, lawmaker Ella Lei has urged authorities to convert idle land into a transport hub and revive the Iec Long Old Firecracker Factory.
In a recent written interpellation to the Legislative Assembly (AL), Lei targeted a large unused plot near Chun Su Mei.
“According to residents, although the land is fenced off to prevent occupation, it is currently overgrown with weeds and a considerable amount of litter,” the lawmaker wrote. Lei noted that the site has sat vacant for years while ongoing drainage works on Rua da Ponte Negra delay plans to merge it with land on Rua do Cunha.
Lei proposed using part of the site for a “transport modal center” to improve tourist integration, infrastructure, and traffic flow at village entrances. She stated that the plan aligns with the 2020–2040 Master Plan’s vision for “UOPG Central Taipa – 2,” including enhanced pedestrian paths and multimodal connections.
Lei also pushed to open the “not yet classified” Iec Long Old Firecracker Factory.
In response, Transport Bureau director Chiang Ngoc Vai, drawing on Chief Executive guidance as well as input from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), outlined traffic relief measures. He stated that DSAT will tweak arrangements for Taipa’s traffic strains, including holiday bus reroutes and pedestrian zone backups.
DSAT has vowed to “actively cooperate with the development of the old Taipa Village, considering in an integrated manner the transportation needs of residents and visitors,” Director Chiang Ngoc Vai stated.
Upgrades will add parking spaces, bus and taxi stands, loading zones, refined routes, new stops, safer crossings, and smoother sidewalks to speed crowd dispersal.
Chiang also spotlighted MGTO’s “Intelligent Application for Visitor Flow,” which tracks crowds at 114 sites and ties into the “Experience Macao” app and tourism portals for real-time updates. “MGTO also maintains contact and information exchange with the Public Security Police and the tourism sector … so visitors can, as far as possible, enjoy a quality experience,” he added.
On heritage, the reply notes that the IC has undertaken phased partial restoration and revitalization of the Iec Long Old Firecracker Factory to better utilize Taipa’s historical and cultural resources, including its old village.
The response also noted that the IC encourages “associations and the sector to organize diverse cultural activities at the Old Factory,” citing past concerts, fairs, intangible heritage crafts, and book launches.
“The IC will continue to proactively collaborate with the SAR’s general revitalization plan and proceed with the orderly restoration of the remaining old factories,” Chiang wrote.
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