GAMES FAILS ROAD TEST

ALMOST a decade when it was announced the Gold Coast would bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, this publication shared our hopes for the unprecedented capital works program such an event would deliver our city.

High on that list was the M1, a stretch of bitumen already stretching at the seams and creating headaches for drivers and politicians alike. Amid the excitement, we even suggested winning the Games would “likely” see a parallel route built.

How naïve we are.

Instead of a permanent fix to the M1 nightmare, here we are a mere 188 days from the opening ceremony and our political leaders are preparing a wave of publicity that puts the onus on you to fix their problem.

As we reveal today, a key part of Roads Minister Mark Bailey’s traffic plan for the Games is for M1 users to drive safer, drive slower or, come to think of it, not drive at all.

“If you can stay on the Gold Coast (for events) … that’s preferable,” he said.

While such pleas will be coupled with tangible concepts, Mr Bailey’s be-part-ofthe-solution mantra is a stark reminder of how far we remain from the once-in-a-lifetime road infrastructure we hoped the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games would inspire.