Wikipedia sheds some light on the condition of our Ukrainian roads: “The operational condition of roads [in Ukraine] is very poor: around 51.1 percent of roads do not meet minimum standards and 39.2 percent require major rebuilds. The average speed on roads in Ukraine is 2-3 times lower than in Western countries.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Ukraine So our football fans from Warsaw and other European locations who would normally do a car trip in 12-14 hours, could be stuck on Ukrainian roads for a really long time.
Is Ukraine destined to end up with egg on it’s collective face in not being able to move people around efficiently to/from the football venues? Will Ukraine end up with a group of disgruntled European fans who come away displeased, giving Ukrainian tourism a black-eye?
According to Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) officials, stadiums are either completed or soon to be – that’s the good news. But what is being done to insure football fans can come and go from the various Ukrainian venues without the headaches of the “usual” road infrastructure Ukrainians and we foreign residents have come to tolerate? We all swallow this bitter pill of bureaucratic incompetency and contracting (tendering) corruption every time we drive. Will the 2012 visitors just have to grit their teeth with every bump and jolt as we do?
What is UEFA’s projections on how many people will drive private cars into Ukraine, how many will come by bus, or how many use air? UEFA should already possess a “fan profile” and have this sort of demographic information available. In my opinion, most people will drive into Ukraine by private car or by bus for the final matches. I found a planning document out at the UEFA website entitled “Bus Services for EURO 2012”, dated September 12, 2010. Busing is a great idea but that doesn’t change the condition of the roads. What is UEFA doing to work with the Ukrainian government to fill enough potholes by the summer of 2012 so the nation won’t be humiliated and ridiculed by its European neighbors for its horrible infrastructure!
UEFA is trying to encourage this bus transportation scheme, in both Poland and Ukraine by setting up Local Organization Committees (LOCs) to organize bus transport. Details from the Ukrainian LOC are sparse with only a few vague plans outlined. I tried seeking clarification on these plans in a email, addressed to Mr. Viktor Sasin, Event Transport Manager, at his EURO2012.com email address. This EURO2012.com website is automatically redirected to a UEFA link http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/index.html Mr. Sasin had not answered my email as of the time of this writing. The second link sadly had nothing whatsoever to do with the transportation plan for EURO 2012.
These games can be a success for Ukraine. But lots has to be done to smoothly get people to their destinations. Air fares? Travelocity for example shows fares between Warsaw and Donetsk starting at $480 during this high season travel time in June/July – that’s a lot of money in anyone’s budget. If it were me, I would drive to save money and share expenses with my buddies on the trip.
During the first cabinet meeting of Jan. 6, Ukrainian Prime minister Mykola Azarov instructed Vice Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov to make Ukraine’s infrastructure European “in a few years”.http://en.ukraine2012.gov.ua/publication/news/top/28418.html. He further said: “This year we should in the main, complete all projects which will ensure the holding of Euro 2012.”
This seemed a parsing of words that the venues will be ready but the governments not sure what else. Building good roads is still possible but Ukraine would have to contract with just about every road building company in Europe to get the job done in time for the games. Of course the big unknown – how much money Infrastructure Czar Kolesnikov has to throw at the road problem. Have good roads been built in Ukraine before? Certainly. A benchmark road in my estimation is the one from Rivne to Zhytomyr. It is absolutely superb to drive, no “tension” waiting to hit the next hole in the road. There are no holes, just a smooth, silky road – imagine!
I hope the Azarov cabinet gets moving to rebuild as many of the primary roads as possible ahead of EURO 2012. Their goal should be to make this a pleasurable experience for football visitors to Ukraine. This investment in infrastructure is a way for Ukraine to show that it is “part of the club”; part of the group of western European nations who can point proudly to good roads and services as a normal part of everyday business. Good roads will serve a long term benefit for Ukraine as well. It translates into increases in productivity and delivery efficiency for all economic sectors. This is the real benefit from preparing good roads today – it makes a strong commitment to Ukraine’s long term economic well being.
Mike Lynn is an American living in Kyiv. He can be reached at [email protected].
