More than three years ago, Penang's Love Lane was just another mean street. Ill-lit and almost dead by dusk, it attracted all kinds of undesirables, including drunks and druggies.

But when enterprising operators started renting the two-storey colonial shophouses and turning them into stylish pubs, diners and lounges, things started to happen.

First, the bright lights forced junkies and bad hats to move to more isolated areas. Then, because of the area's close proximity to budget hotels, tourists from various parts of the world began patronising the establishments on Love Lane.

A year after the first few operators started doing business there, the area became a must-visit attraction for the young and old, locals and foreigners, looking for decent night-time entertainment.

Now, Love Lane has become a de rigueur stop on many tourists' list of places to visit on the island. It's become a place where people can socialise, unwind, and wine and dine at fair rates, while enjoying live entertainment, especially the impromptu kind staged by street performers from various parts of the world.

In view of Love Lane's popularity as an evening recreational area, a proposal to close the road from 7pm to 4am, endorsed by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), is under serious consideration.

This is to not only to ensure the safety of patrons at the various lounges on Love Lane and prevent grievous incidents involving motorised vehicles, but also to make it a healthy car-free zone for locals and tourists seeking a respite from streets with toxic fumes spewed by traffic.

We also have to be mindful that, because of the large number of foreign tourists who frequent Love Lane establishments, especially those from Europe and South and North America, every effort should be made to ensure that nothing like the recent terrorist events involving motorised vehicles in European cities happen here. 

Most of the operations are styled after open-concept, old-world coffee houses, so there are tables at street levels without preventive or protective barriers. Preemptive measures like closing the road during peak hours of business would go a long way in reinforcing Love Lane's reputation as a safe and secure tourist destination.

As is normal in situations like this, ultra-conservative forces with a political agenda have mobilised groups to challenge the closure on hyperbolic grounds, ranging from the spread of yellow culture to the proliferation of prostitution and other morally repugnant activities. But despite their angry posturing and over-the-top clamouring, they have yet to provide any concrete evidence to justify their fears.