Together Gibraltar has expressed its concern over the limited bus service during the Island Games. They say it will create "discomfort" for both locals and visitors.

A statement from Together Gibraltar follows below: 

Together Gibraltar believes that the organisation of the Island Games is yet another great opportunity to showcase Gibraltar and continue building on its already impressive profile as a sporting nation. We wholly ascribe to the values of sportsmanship and international collaboration that these competitions symbolise, and hope much success to the organisation and to all athletes involved. 

However, we note with concern that what seems like careless planning will unnecessarily strain our infrastructure and create discomfort for both visitors and the local community, as the road closures announced for many of the events, coupled with a limited bus service, will almost certainly prove a recipe for chaos on our roads. Many of the road events and closures are taking place during weekdays, some at key ‘rush hour’ times such as 5.30pm. To make matters worse, the Government has announced that some bus routes will be reduced at those times, and one even dropped altogether. 

Moreover, the measures put in place to communicate this to the general public have been lacklustre. While road closures have been signposted around Gibraltar’s roads, these signs depict lengthy schedules and will be impossible to take in by motorists as they drive by. There appears to be no reasonable explanation for this, other than indolent planning by those involved. 

We await to hear Government’s rationale for these decisions and their plans to ensure Gibraltar’s road network does not suffer yet another gridlock.