Visitors unhappy with alternative path for crowd control

The Public Security Police Force (PSP) resumed crowd control measures around the Ruins of Saint Paul’s Sunday, due to the large influx of tourists in that area. But according to some tourists interviewed by Chinese language channel TDM, the alternative path provided is not suitable and causes major hassles, especially for pregnant women, the elderly, and families with young children, they said.

On the line is the fact that when enforcing crowd control measures, the police ask pedestrians who walk from the Ruins to the Largo da Companhia de Jesus, to approach the city center following the path through Calçada do Amparo into the Rua dos Ervanários area.

At the same time, pedestrian traffic at the Rua de São Paulo proceeds in just one way, in the direction of the monument.

Tourists interviewed found the pathway unsuitable as the street (Calçada do Amparo) is effectively a stairway with a steep slope, without ramps or escalators or elevators, which causes a lot of difficulties, particularly for senior citizens and families carrying young children in baby strollers.

Some other tourists also considered the crowd control measures exaggerated although noting that there were a lot of people on the site.

At the same time, shop owners/keepers at the Calçada do Amparo and Rua dos Ervanários see the crowd control measures as business opportunities, as they lead more visitors to these areas that are not so popular on normal occasions.

Having contrasting opinions are those with businesses at the Rua de São Paulo. They say tour guides often warn those traveling in group tours not to “venture” through these “unknown streets” as they “might get lost” and may not be able to return easily to the upper section of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s where the tour buses will drop them off and pick them up later.