Russell Crowe slates Rio’s traffic chaos

RIO DE JANEIRO: Ten weeks before the city expects to welcome throngs of World Cup fans, Hollywood star Russell Crowe slated Rio’s chaotic traffic during a visit to promote a movie.
Although happy to visit Brazil, Crowe admitted he found the traffic a challenge — not least as he braved the cars for a bicycle ride around the metropolis.
“What I found was chaos,” he told Broadcaster Globo’s Fantastico program in an interview broadcast Sunday, adding that coming out of the airport the surrounding area was none too scenic.
“The bit I came in, to be honest ... needed a bit of cleaning up,” he reflected in a pre-recorded interview.
Rio is straining to revamp its image as the World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympics approach, but is struggling with the mammoth task of reversing decades of urban decline.
During his stay — Sunday’s program was broadcast after Crowe left Brazil for the United States — the actor had tweeted his incredulity at the urban mayhem that Rio residents know so well.