54-hour road closures ‘bad for business’

The road closure in Bandar Hilir affecting several major streets from 6pm Friday to midnight on Sunday has caused a big drop in sales, say traders and restaurateurs. — Filepic

Melaka traders want state government to reevaluate car-free initiative

BACK in September 2023, a seasoned hotelier sang praises of the Melaka Chief Minister when a group of friends decided to hang out at a restaurant to catch up with the latest happenings in the state.

The topic of discussion was the car-free initiative launched by Melaka government at Bandar Hilir and implemented during weekends.

The hotelier commended Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh for making a bold move in a bid to create an impact on the local tourism industry.

However, it appears that positive view is not shared by numerous other denizens.

The hotelier said he had been receiving negative feedback from various business entities in Bandar Hilir in the past month over the weekend road closure.

He thinks that the reason behind the opposition to the initiative by Ab Rauf could boil down to the mindset of locals being unable to adapt to new ideas.

This is when StarMetro decided to find out the truth about the sentiments of the business community in Bandar Hilir.

Surprisingly, many were against the initiative and wanted the state to limit the closure to only Fridays and not throughout the weekends.

Previously, the car-free zone implemented in August 2023 was only enforced on Saturdays from 6pm to midnight.

At the end of last year, the state government went ahead with a 54-hour road closure, from 6pm on Friday until midnight on Sunday.

The road closure and traffic diversion begins from the Jalan Laksamana intersection with Jalan Banda Kaba, and involves Jalan Banda Kaba, Lorong Chan Koon Cheng and Jalan Chan Koon Cheng.

Many of those whom we spoke to requested anonymity, as they were afraid of reprisals from the authorities.

Two traders said the state leader should understand that Melaka was not ready for such ideas.

“Look at the traffic congestion in Melaka. There are dozens of traffic lights from Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza to reach the city centre, and yet the state government wants to close another major stretch,” one of the traders exclaimed.

The trader suggested that Ab Rauf build more ring roads before closing the streets in the city centre.

“Look at neighbouring states, they have better road systems and traffic diversions compared to us but we continue to close roads.

“It is not that the locals are against new ideas, but the state government should face the reality that the road infrastructure in the city is not ready to support such road closures,” the trader added.

Another trader said some lawmakers in the state were not voicing the true feelings of the traders impacted by the road closure.

The trader claimed that when these lawmakers were in the Opposition, they made a “lot of noise” but now kept silent despite a slew of complaints about the car-free zone.

Some hoteliers and restaurateurs also shared the same sentiments.

One hotelier said he was contemplating selling his business as it was badly impacted by the road closures.

He also noted how tour bus drivers avoided entering Bandar Hilir during weekends.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs are feeling the pinch too with an almost 50% decrease in business during the road closure period.

The group felt that insufficient parking bays as well as the traffic diversions caused confusion to motorists, which hindered people from patronising their eateries.

The business community also felt that their grouses channelled to Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) were disregarded.

Frustrated with the zero response from the authorities, traders are now adding local community leaders and mainstream media as recipients of petitions against the weekend road closures.

The latest petition was made by the business community along Lorong Hang Jebat, claiming that the traffic rerouting implemented by MBMB at their street had severely affected their businesses as well as caused inconvenience to them.

For many locals, it is time for Melaka government to evaluate the efficiency of the vehicle-free zone through dialogues with stakeholders and improve communication with the grassroots for better coordination of the initiative.

The opinion and suggestions from tourism associations, hoteliers, business community and residents are crucial if the state government wants to see a boost in commercial activities in Bandar Hilir.

Bandar Hilir folk are also appealing to the state government to embark on thorough research and rescind the 54-hour road closure.

Those interviewed also suggested the state government move the initiative to Pulau Melaka where the traffic flow could be controlled and would help in the growth of that area.