Tropfest - Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down!

Ryoma said :

As for the footbridge over Parkes Way, can the ACT Government widen its capacity, or maybe build a second bridge next door, to separate cyclists and pedestrians, and to allow for crowds at events like this to clear out quickly.

Where to start?

I have been driving under that bridge twice a day going to and from work, morning and evening for 11 years now. I swear in front of the assembled multitudes that I will eat an uncooked Liberal politician in Garema Place at high noon if there has ever been more than 3 people on that bridge at any one time as I’ve passed by.

If the ACT government decided to spend a single brass razoo on widening or duplicating that bridge for the 3 events per year where people might be delayed for a few seconds, then I would be out in the streets causing civil unrest that would make the current Libyan brouhaha look like nothing more than a meeting of the ANU debating society.

Or, to put it another way, things like nurses, hospitals, teachers, schools etc are probably (hopefully) a little further up the list of priorities.

Ryoma said :

As for the footbridge over Parkes Way, can the ACT Government widen its capacity, or maybe build a second bridge next door, to separate cyclists and pedestrians, and to allow for crowds at events like this to clear out quickly.

It only happens a few times a year – Maybe you can build a bridge to get over it…………. wait a minute !

Ryoma said :

maybe build a second bridge next door, to separate cyclists and pedestrians

Or you could just get off your freakin’ bike for the time it takes to cross a bridge.

Even though Ross and Virginia were annoying at times, they were still 100 times better than the idiots from 104 who did it the last couple of years.

Ryoma said :

It’s not rocket science. With a crowd of several thousand, food,drink and alcohol on sale, it stands to reason that toilets will be needed, and needed by most during the interval between the films. So why did we not have more portaloos available? Pathetic.

Were they serving Indonesian foods or curries? You need more toilets it they’re serving curries.

clp said :

harley said :

until Ross Solly is off air, 666 ABC is on my permanent s***-list. Never told a funny that was actually funny.

Gosh you’ve never had the misfortune of being a Sydneysider recently and having to put up with the wet comments of Richard Glover then.

666 is a great local ABC – (comparing it to 702 Sydney and 891 Adelaide).

You can really tell who the event was aimed at – arty farty ABC listening pubes hankering for their next literary grant. I just wish the ABC would close down and those who are in the bubble isolated from the real world would then have to listen to real talkback radio reflecting the opinions of the majority and watch unbiased, factual news on TV for a change.

Generally I thought that the event was well organised, but I agree with much of the commentary about Ross Solly. He’s good on ABC666, but I think his brand of sarcasm did not show him in the best light at Tropfest.

My only gripes were: the toilets and the footbridge. Toilets first. As the capital city, how many events does Canberra host year in, year out? How many times has it hosted Tropfest? But we still had the ludicrous spectacle of dozens of men and women lining up for up to 15-20 minutes for the chance to relieve themselves.

It’s not rocket science. With a crowd of several thousand, food,drink and alcohol on sale, it stands to reason that toilets will be needed, and needed by most during the interval between the films. So why did we not have more portaloos available? Pathetic.

As for the footbridge over Parkes Way, can the ACT Government widen its capacity, or maybe build a second bridge next door, to separate cyclists and pedestrians, and to allow for crowds at events like this to clear out quickly.

It’s not a major thing, and I don’t mind being patient, but I did think that there is potential for people to get hurt one day – if, for example – we had a emergency situation in Commonwealth Park for whatever reason, and that bridge was one of the only exits. Canberrans are usually pretty mellow and considerate, but would we react the same way in the face of danger?
I wonder….

jsm2090, we walked past that car in the carpark, back to our car on which one windscreen wiper had been turned into a pretzel. Grrr! Since we were parked nose-in to the hedge, this artistic feat must have required some intrepidy (if that’s not a word, it should be).

What was with fading to sponsor’s ad smack bang in the middle of the announcement of the awards?

They faded to the TransACT ad during the award sponsored by Telstra. They didn’t manage to do it before the name of the award was announced, though. Muppets.

la mente torbida said :

and how much did this event cost?

We were in the VIP area, so it cost me around $220. Not bad for seven people, but not chickenfeed either.

And sure, you could choose to attend for free with fewer perks, but that doesn’t mean the event came free. Sponsors paid good money, I presume the government kicked some cash in too. Are they less entitled to good service for their money?