UNITED KINGDOM: Olympic rings on London roads make some drivers see red as the city prepares for transport strife during the Games

Record ID: 330856

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Olympic rings on London roads make some drivers see red as the city prepares for transport strife during the Games
  • Date: 2nd July 2012
  • Summary: TIME LAPSE SHOT OF COMMUTERS LEAVING CANARY WHARF TUBE
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA4BXBK02GYVHDNLWQ9HM4LE7RG
  • Story Text: When Londoners woke on Monday (July 2), they found the latest sign of the Olympics impacting their lives, and probably the most annoying.
    As they slept, workmen painted the iconic Olympic rings on some of the capital's roads, marking the 30 miles of tarmac which will be out of bounds to motorists between July 27 and August 12.
    Although not operational until two days before the Olympics, the Games Lanes are shaping up to be one of the biggest irritants to those living in the capital.
    Used to crawling along the city's clogged narrow streets, motorists will now have the added insult of watching 80,000 athletes, officials, sponsors and media moving freely in chauffeur-driven vehicles on the specially designated lanes.
    The ORN (Olympic Route Network) covers 109 miles (305.7 kilometres) of London roads, and is expected to carry 1,300 games vehicles an hour between Olympic venues across the city.
    Garret Emmerson, Transport for London's (TfL) Chief Operating Officer for surface transport, said the lanes weren't just a perk for Olympic athletes, officials and sponsors, but a vital way to keep the city flowing for Londoners as well.

    "There are two challenges for us here - one is to get the Games family where they need to be and put on a fantastic Games, the second is to keep London moving. that's why we've invested in you know traffic signal technology, and that's why we're putting the Olympic Route Network in and designing that, to make sure we've got the capacity on those roads to make sure we've got the capacity to get the Olympic family where they need to go without impacting on Londoners more than absolutely necessary," he said.
    From a specially created monitoring centre in central London, TfL will be able to monitor traffic flow in the city on a second by second basis.

    "Of course if there is an issue we've got all the resources here - whether that's working with the police, whether that's influencing the traffic signals, whether that's working with the emergency services or whatever to clear it up, to re-route people to make sure they get where they're going. So we've got all of the technology, all of the people so yes we're confident but of course we can never be complacent. One thing we know for sure is that there will be things that are unexpected, and I think the key to making the Games run smoothly is to be able to deal with those as quickly and efficiently as possible," he said.
    But the fight for space is likely to be so keen that some taxi drivers are threatening to leave their car keys at home and go away.
    Black cab driver Rob Webb said he would probably leave the country rather than trying to brave the Olympic traffic.

    "Probably go on holiday...I just think it's going to be chaos, absolute chaos. you know a lot of the roads we're not going to be able to use. They say visitor numbers are going to be down, so i think it's going to be a waste of time," he said.
    Aware of the potential additional gridlock, TfL is keen for motorists to get out of their cars and on to their bikes and into their walking boots.
    Walking maps have been distributed at Underground rail stations and people will have access to the 8,000 self-service bicycles dotted around the city for hire as part of a drive to get an extra 16 percent walking or cycling.
    TfL's most high profile campaign during the past 18 months though has been to encourage commuters and sports fans to plan their journeys before boarding buses and underground and over ground trains.
    But catching a bus may not be so easy if bus drivers, who ferry about 6.5 million passengers a day, fail to settle their dispute over Olympic bonuses.
    They have already held a 24-hour strike over their demand for an extra 500 pounds for the stress of working during the Games, and have more scheduled in the coming weeks.
    The ageing underground rail system is already near capacity and is blighted by overcrowding and unreliability. Queues are already a common occurrence during rush-hour, compounded by engineering problems such as signal failure.
    People have been warned they can expect to queue for more than an hour at certain key intersections, or "hotspots" during the Games.
    Many say they will go on holiday during the Games to miss the chaos, while others will be working from home or on 'flexi-hour' schemes.

    "Absolutely diabolical and everybody is worried. i know a lot of people who have taken holiday to go away because they can't cope with it," said Sandra Jones, a hospital worker who said she will be leaving extra time every day to get to work.

    "I work up here in London Bridge and I think I'm going to be working from home half the time, to be honest with you, because it's going to be chaos," said commuter Anthony Alleyne.
    TfL is also encouraging commuters to linger over a drink before going home and cajoling office workers to stagger their trips by offering a voucher scheme with cheap theatre and cinema tickets.
    Combined with a drop in the number of regular tourists, they hope to produce a 30 percent drop in transport use during peak times, leaving room for the anticipated extra three million daily journeys.
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