Residents and commuters have expressed several concerns about the recently-opened outdoor parking lot situated at the junction of Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira and Avenida de Kwong Tung, under the flyover in front of the Macau Jockey Club.
Beyond concerns about the parking costs – raised repeated by many online – individuals interviewed yesterday by the Times expressed specific dissatisfaction about the design and functionality of the new amenity.
One of the most frequent subjects of criticism was the space allocated for sections dedicated to light vehicles and heavy vehicles (particularly buses).
“It’s regrettable that the Transport Bureau (DSAT) has reserved such a large area for buses but not for private cars. The bus park is always empty or has only one or two buses, as you can currently see, while the car parking area has very high demand,” a woman with the surname Iong, who works at a bank across the street, told the Times.
She also noted that despite the availability of the new parking lot, most bank clients continued to park in front of the premises, in the public bus stop area, to avoid paying the hourly fee of 8 patacas during the day.
“It would be better if there was a half-price option [4 patacas] for 30 minutes of parking. At the current rate, many people would prefer to risk parking illegally,” Iong remarked.
During the period of the Times’ inquiry, the bus parking lot had 14 vacant spaces out of 17, while the light vehicles parking area had around 22 unoccupied spots out of 41.
Another criticism regarding the parking lot’s design came from a man with the surname Yip, who works at a store nearby.
Yip said that the design made poor use of the available space and disregarded the needs of the area, resulting in waste and inefficiency.
“It is badly executed. There is a lot of unused space and no parking for motorbikes, which is actually what we need more of around this area,” he said, pointing out the motorcycles and mopeds parked on the sidewalks outside his store.
The Times surveyed the area and found that, due to the layout of the land, several areas marked with white diagonal stripes, as well as chevrons painted on the road, were designated as non-parking zones, with plastic poles enforcing the restrictions.
According to Yip, such areas could have been used to accommodate two-wheel vehicles, but this had been overlooked by the DSAT.
Yip also told the Times that although the car park was usually full at nighttime, it was usually only half-full during the day, excepting weekends.
More design flaws were highlighted by a driver stopped in the bus stop lane.
When questioned why he had stopped there rather than the car park, he explained he was picking up a disabled passenger with mobility constraints. He explained that the car park only has one parking spot for people with disabilities and that this was located on the far end of the parking lot facing the Macau Jockey Club. He said this was not useful at all given the location of the services nearby.
“It’s very badly done. The handicapped park is right at the far end, but people need access to the services on the other side,” he said, pointing to the bank, restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores located across the street.
The Times also interviewed a resident named Victor, who was double-parked illegally at the Avenida de Kwong Tung.
Questioned by the Times if he was aware of the new parking lot, he responded, “Yes, I know, but I only need to stop here to get something from the shop. It takes only 3 to 5 minutes. To go to the park is very expensive as I must pay for a full hour. Everyone is doing the same,” he remarked, pointing to several cars in double parking on the same street.
The Times has contacted the DSAT on the new car park but has not, as of time of publication, received a reply on either the parking lot utilization rate or the public’s feedback.
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