WILL MELBOURNE 2006 BE REMEMBERED AS “ THE GRIDLOCK GAMES”?

All week the media has been running hot with predictions of traffic chaos during the Games and questions as to whether public transport will cope with spectator crowds. (Eg “Streets of squeeze – Roads chaos on cards” Herald Sun 8 March.) Even Games Minister Madden confessed today on 3AW Sunday morning show that he is concerned over the likelihood of traffic congestion.

No media outlet (except for Channel 7) has questioned, however, whether the arrangements for transporting the 6,000 or so athletes and officials between the Village and the 92 event, training, cultural and media venues in Melbourne will actually work. Nor whether our roads will cope with the mass exodus from the Village and back for the opening and closing ceremonies. The logistics of such operations is formidable given that, as the isolated Parkville Village site is distant from public transport, Games organisers are relying entirely on buses. (Rumour is that Victorian schools had to have holidays over the Games as their buses are being requisitioned.)

The bus route from the southern end of the Village site is via Manningham Street and Church Street to Flemington Road (a notorious major traffic bottleneck, spaghetti junction and designated traffic black spot.) Buses only have 30 seconds in which to turn into or from Flemington Road, whereas traffic exiting or entering the Tulla freeway (City Link) have a whole 3 minutes. (Vicroads has not yet adjusted the traffic lights to give buses a clear run.) Games organisers originally calculated that 160 buses an hour would move in and out of Flemington Road. But is this possible? There may be additional traffic snarls in the western suburbs since the thousands of Village workers have to park on the Flemington Racecourse and be bussed to the Village.

Julianne Bell Convenor of the Royal Park Protection Group (RPPG) said “Since May 2003 when we made submissions to a Games Village planning committee and, recently, at the official Games Village Committee (on which we are represented), we have warned the Minister, bureaucrats planning the Games and Games organisers that transporting athletes and officials by bus from Parkville is fraught with problems apart from being a major pollutant. (Ironically, the Games are billed as being “carbon neutral.”) Our concern has been that athletes might not get to events on time. We fear that we could have a rerun of Atlanta Olympics 1996, which was dubbed the “Gridlock Games,” and during which athletes missed events as they were stuck in traffic jams. RPPG has consistently advocated that special express trains from nearby Royal Park Station move competitors and officials en masse to events, especially at the MCG. Even the Rail Tram and Bus Union offered their services to help organise trains from the athletes’ village. But Games organisers were deaf to our entreaties and wouldn’t listen to reason.”

Given the Games open on Wednesday next it is now too late to do anything but pray and put out faith in the Games organisers whose motto seems to be “She’ll be right on the day, mate”.

Media Contact: Julianne Bell, Convenor, RPPG: 98184114 or 0408022408