Malacca CM: Does car-free zone really hurt traders or is it politics?

Malacca Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh questioned whether his state’s car-free zone policy affects the income of traders or if it is just being played up as a political issue.

In an interview with Sinar Harian, he said he has been unable to confirm that the policy has resulted in such losses to traders.

Responding to the interviewer, who asked how the state government reconciles the matter with small traders, Rauf (above) admitted that more research needed to be done.

“I have yet to academically confirm if there is really any loss in the form of cash flow or if it has just been polemicised by political parties that do not agree with the existing government,” he said.

It was a complicated matter with many factors involved, added the Umno assemblyperson for Tanjung Bidara.

In December, Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who is from DAP, urged the state government to immediately postpone the trial run of the vehicle-free zone in Malacca’s city centre.

He said the 54-hour road closure would negatively impact the revenue of businesses in the area and pointed out that the state government has not built new roads in central Malacca despite the number of vehicles increasing.

In May, Malacca Bersatu deputy chief Mohd Yadzil Yaakub also posted a video in which car-free parts of Bandar Hilir, which he said used to be packed with visitors on weekends, barely had anyone around despite it being a Saturday.

Ayer Keroh assemblyperson Kerk Chee Yee also objected to the initiative and disagreed with the change of road direction in the surrounding area, including Jalan Bukit Cina.

He said the changes caused businesses around the zone to experience a 90 percent drop in revenue and caused motorists to be stuck in jams for two hours on routes that usually only take 10 minutes.

Heritage site

However, Rauf said roads in Malacca were built centuries ago and are unable to be enlarged after being gazetted as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Upgrading the streets will affect the original structure of nearby historic buildings, he explained.

“So, what we did is create a traffic diversion, only 750m away from the historic area, which is used as a car-free zone,” he said.

Rauf added that he was open to suggestions about the policy from all parties to ensure that everyone benefits.

Previously, Kerk said that Khoo, Bandar Hilir assemblyperson Leng Chau Yen, and himself were involved in dialogue sessions before the car-free trial’s implementation and that several concerns were raised.

They included road congestion, emergency routes to hospitals, and the impact on small businesses in and around the area, as well as the confusion of tourists driving in the area.

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