New approach the prudent way to go

MANY residents no doubt heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that Nelson Mandela Bay will no longer be forking out R200-million for extensive road upgrades for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship to be contested in Port Elizabeth later this year.

The municipality has managed to slash its budget for the project to just R25-million – a fraction of the original estimate – by focusing only on the most urgent roadworks required along the 40km stretch of road in question.

Despite mayor Athol Trollip’s earlier confidence that funding would be secured from Bhisho, the only option in the end was to adopt a far more conservative alternative.

Politics certainly played a part in this concession – the ANC in the province was always likely to play hard ball once it had lost the metro.

No doubt civic pressures and local opposition parties also had some influence.

It is surprising our city leaders were so bullish in the first place to make such a commitment, the significance of the event notwithstanding.

The fact that a more financially prudent approach could be identified – with the acquiescence of the Ironman’s international organisers (a delegation of representatives is in the Bay as we speak) – proves common sense prevailed.

However, that is not to say money will not have to be found down the line – and in this case we are looking well beyond the international sports spectacle at the beginning of September – to address the Bay’s not insignificant road infrastructure shortcomings.

This will have to be done not just for the sake of improving our chances of hosting future Ironman events – which obviously bring innumerable favourable spin-offs to the city – but for the benefit of all who use these roads daily.

We hope the more urgent roadworks that have been identified will be completed without being too much of an inconvenience to local motorists and also to athletes who will be taking part in the Ironman African Championship to be held along the same route in April.

Since the African champs are essentially a dry run for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, every effort will have to be made to complete the work in time.