It's the race that stops a nation - or is it? Here in Canberra, the bolting of the horses for the Melbourne Cup won't be enough to stop special buses ferrying merrymakers to and from Thoroughbred Park, nor will it hamper the school pick-up time for parents and carers or prevent police vigilance for unsafe drivers or unruly partygoers.
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Thoroughbred Park will host Canberra's traditional Cup day celebrations, including Myer Fashions on the Field and local races. Gates open at 9.30am and races begin about 1pm.
Of course, it will all stop at 3pm for the running of the Melbourne Cup, which will be shown on the big screen at the track.
But the buses will continue through the day. ACTION will divert six regular routes - 51, 52, 56, 57, 58 and 59 - through Thoroughbred Park between 9am and 6pm and the Red Rapid 200 will make special stops at the corner of Flemington and Randwick roads.
There will also be free shuttles running from Thoroughbred Park to the City Bus Station from 4pm to 7.30pm, which could prove a good option for revellers as police promise a strong, high-visibility presence throughout Tuesday.
Operational commander Sergeant Jo Cameron said police would target drink-drivers and would be patrolling Civic and licensed venues to ensure Cup celebrations remain civil.
''We are not the anti-fun police,'' Sergeant Cameron said. ''All we ask is that if you drink, then drink responsibly.
''Plan your day, arrange to be picked up, catch a taxi or take an ACTION bus when you're heading home - please help keep our roads and city safe.''
The school run won't falter over the 3pm start time either. A spokeswoman for the ACT Education Directorate said school pick-ups were scheduled to proceed as normal but said some schools might record the race to play back to interested teachers afterwards.
According to Roy Morgan research released on Monday, the race that stops a nation is now stopping less of the nation than 10 years ago. The poll indicated about two-thirds of Australians don't watch the Melbourne Cup, compared with 38 per cent of the country 10 years ago.
The decline was sharpest in the younger groups, with just 25 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds and 16 per cent of 14 to 24-year-olds planning to drop everything at 3pm to watch the race.
Canberrans still spent more than $2.2 million gambling on the Cup last year. This year, ACTTAB has seven special, temporary betting points set up to accommodate prospective punters. Head to acttab.com.au for details.
