Only pedestrians, cyclists allowed on road in front of Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple

Traffic on a road in front of the famed Angkor Wat temple has now been prohibited in order to ensure public order and safety for tourists in the complex of the ancient site, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday.

"From now on, only pedestrians and cyclists, or emergency cases, firefighting trucks and ambulances, are allowed to travel straight forwards on the road in front of the Angkor Wat temple," he wrote on his Facebook page. "This is to ease traffic congestion, maintain public order, ensure safety for tourists, and improve the beauty of the Angkor Wat temple's front complex."

Long Kosal, deputy chief of the communications department of the Apsara Authority, which manages the site, said about 300 meters of the road in front of the Angkor Wat temple was blocked.

Located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, the Angkor Wat temple, inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1992, is the kingdom's most popular tourist destination.

The ancient site attracted some 2.1 million foreign tourists in 2015, earning total revenue of 60 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to government's figures.

The entrance fee to the site is 20 U.S. dollars per day for a foreigner, 40 U.S. dollars for a three-day visit and 60 U.S. dollars for a week-long visit. Enditem