SPECTATORS LEFT IN SLOW LANE AS BUSES HIT FRESH HURDLE
COMMONWEALTH Games spectators queued for hundreds of metres and waited up to 90 minutes for buses at the end of the athletics program at Carrara Stadium last night.
With one event to go on the first athletics program of the Games, the announcer at Carrara Stadium asked fans to wait in their seats because long lines for buses headed to Broadbeach and Nerang had backed up.
Security guards said there were still teething problems for spectators heading northbound with a bottleneck road crossing causing issues. Some spectators joked about comments made by GOLDOC boss Mark Peters after the traffic chaos that marred Wednesday’s opening ceremony.
Mr Peters said people who thought the transport would be perfect was a “lunatic”.
“We live in Surfers Paradise but we’re in the line for the Broadbeach buses because it’s moving faster,” Ron Borland said.
“Worst-case scenario, we just walk home.”
Ron’s wife, Allison, was upbeat about the queues: “I guess the maniacs are back, or lunatics, whatever (Mr Peters) called us.”
A security guard said the first night of the athletics ran much smoother than the opening ceremony, but there were still issues. “It comes from the top, try and get 50,000 people through a gap like that,” they said.
“Some things look good on paper but aren’t too good in practise.”
However, it wasn’t all bad news with athletes and fans hailing the incredible atmosphere created by the near-capacity 35,000 crowd.