[mypaper] No cars in Circular Road on weekends?
Executives in the Central Business District (CBD) may soon have
another spot to unwind without having to worry about traffic.
Singapore River One (SRO), the
non-profit organisation behind Boat Quay's management, told My
Paper that it has submitted a proposal to various government
agencies to close a 250m stretch of Circular Road to traffic on
certain days of the week.
These agencies include the
Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Land Transport Authority and the
Singapore Police Force.
The Circular Road stretch,
between Lorong Telok and North Canal Road, is home to pubs and
eateries popular among office workers in the area.
SRO said that the proposal was
made after a meeting was called with stakeholders in Boat Quay and
Circular Road on June 27.
It proposed a six-month trial
period when the road closure would take effect every Friday and
Saturday - days when sales and footfall are typically the
highest.
SRO - which manages the entire
Singapore River precinct, including Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay
- hopes to start the trial in late September or early October,
pending the authorities' approval.
In the CBD, temporary
road-closure arrangements in the evenings are already in place in
Boon Tat Street, next to popular food centre Lau Pa Sat.
SRO said that stakeholders who
attended last month's meeting reported strong sales and footfall
during a three-day St Patrick's Day Festival that it organised from
March 15 to 17.
During the festival, the same
stretch of road was closed to traffic and almost 70 per cent of
tenants surveyed reported "significant improvements in business
volume".
They estimated a business
boost of between 15 and 75 per cent, compared to celebrations of
previous years when there were no road closures, said
SRO.
Business operators along the
stretch whom My Paper spoke to agreed that the road closure would
be beneficial to their businesses.
Mr Kevin Tan, 45, who owns
organic deli Nothing But Green, said: "The management informed us
that there would be less traffic and more room for people to
walk."
A senior manager at
Cellarbration Tavern said that the bar enjoyed a 20 to 25 per cent
increase in sales during the St Patrick's Day Festival this
year.
The 48-year-old, who gave his
name only as Mr Bahtera, added that it would be better if the
entire stretch of Circular Road was closed to traffic in order to
benefit all businesses in the area.
The proposed road closure is
also welcomed by many who work in the CBD, such as bank executive
Wu Jing Shen, 28, who enjoys relaxing at the pubs after
work.
He said: "People tend to drink
heavily here on weekends and it is very easy for a drunk person to
get knocked down by a car."
However, sales executive
Melissa Wong, 21, felt that the road closure may hinder, rather
than assist, partygoers.
She said: "It's quite a walk
to the main road and it could be a challenge for intoxicated people
to walk all the way out to flag a cab if the road is
closed.
