MELAKA: A new contra-flow lane at Bandar Hilir here is aimed to minimise traffic congestion and also to help business entities during the weekend road closures, says the mayor of Melaka Historic City Council
Datuk Shadan Othman said the trial period of the traffic dispersal initiative was reached after getting feedback from the locals in the area on the impact of the vehicle-free zone programme.
"We are willing to listen to the concerns raised by traders and other business community to improvise the programme concept.
"The initiative was also to ensure hotel operators and eateries around the route continue to generate revenues with an alternative access," he said in an interview on Friday (April 26).
Shadan said traffic from Little India (Jalan Bendahara) here also can use the intersection of Chan Koon Cheng Bridge and Lorong Hang Jebat as an alternative access to Bandar Hilir from April 20.
"The new route has also been updated in Google Maps and we will continue to get responses from locals on the move," he said.
Shadan acknowledged that the council is still receiving mixed reactions from locals over the contra-flow and it would be fine-tuned accordingly.
The plan to have contra-flow at the stretch was announced by Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh in November, last year.
The car-free zone programme was implemented in Aug of last year and initially was only enforced on Saturdays, from 6pm to midnight.
At the end of 2024, the state government went ahead with a 54-hour road closure, from 6pm on Friday until midnight on Sunday.
