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Olympic express routes 'will cause traffic chaos'
David Williams11.02.09
Plans to allow Olympic athletes and VIPs to be driven in express road lanes will bring chaos to London, a Games insider claimed today.
The Olympic Road Network will provide the lanes between the Olympic villages and main sporting venues.
But a senior executive close to the project warns that instead of lasting for just a day, the operation will last up to six weeks and cause disruption for thousands of drivers and residents.
According to the Olympic Delivery Authority, the plan will see:
• Cyclists being banned from miles of express routes designed to transport officials and athletes through London in high-speed convoys.
• Motorists facing strict "no stopping" rules on miles of roads on pain of fines of up to £5,000.
• Vital parking or loading bays that may hinder the network will be swept away before the Games even begin.
Senior officials believe that although the Department for Transport is consulting on the proposals, it is not revealing the full extent of the clampdown.
"The measures could have a profound and prolonged effect on London's roads," said the source.
"Parking bays, residents' bays, anything that gets in the way could have to go in the run-up to the Games. Express lanes for VIPs could dominate some roads - it's a question of everyone else getting what's left."
The network includes main routes in central London between the athletes' accommodation and sporting venues including the Olympic Park, Wembley, Lord's and Wimbledon, as well as routes on the M4 to and from Heathrow.
The routes will also include express lanes to Eton Dorney, near Windsor, for the canoeing and rowing; Hadleigh Farm, Essex, for the mountain bike competition; and Weymouth for sailing.
There are also plans for a full scale "dress rehearsal" before the Games have begun.
Cyclists could be banned from miles of the routes because the new measures will leave carriageways too narrow and hazardous.
There are fears that traders will suffer as stores and restaurants which lose loading bays will have to porter goods from nearby streets instead.
"It would be sustainable for a day or two but not for the length of the Olympics, up to six weeks in total," said the source. Insiders say that journey time estimates for the network were "wildly optimistic" because they were based on night-time traffic flows.
One estimate said it would take just 21 minutes for officials to travel by road from the Park Lane hotels to the Olympic site in Stratford.
The insider said: "That would mean breaking the speed limit all the way."
The International Olympic Committee is believed to have accepted slower journey times but only if authorities guarantee VIPs will not face delays, hence the restrictions on motorists.
Insiders say the £5,000 fines are "unrealistically high" and will be ineffective against foreign vehicles, the number of which will soar during the Games.
An ODA spokeswoman admitted there would be disruption for up to six weeks but stressed it would be kept to a minimum.
She said the Olympic lanes would operate "only when necessary", adding that traffic would be lighter as many Londoners would be away on holiday.
She said the £5,000 fine was meant as "prevention rather than cure".
ODA transport director Hugh Sumner added: "The Olympic Road Network will be invisible to most Londoners, and has been designed to keep London moving. We cannot fail the athletes - they are here to compete, not commute."
Reader views (43)
Hard to claim that its the "green olympics" if they are banning cyclists from the roads. In Londons traffic cyclists never slow the flow anyway - cycle and motorbike are the fastest way to get around.
Londons roads are clogged up enough as it is without special rules making it worse on other routes. Shouldn't they just make people use buses or coaches instead, allowing them access to Londons bus lane network.
- Graham, Coventry, England
What nonsense. Those foolish enough to want to compete in, work for, or attend, the Olympics, must take their chances like the rest of us. London traffic is close to third world in its awfulness. Rather than waste billions on the Olympics the money would be better spent giving Londoners a better road and public transport system. That would be a legacy worth having. We already know that all the sports facilities will be a complete waste of public money, just like in Beijing. Londoners do not want the Olympics, it is as simple as that. Telling them to put up with additional disruption so that Olympocrats can get to the games a bit faster from their five star hotels is an insult.
- Simon Evans, Devizes, Wiltshire
It is time to cancel these games now. They are an utter waste ot time and money. The driver was, and is, political egos. Draw a line pull the plug and focus on more imoortant things like gettng the country back on its feet.
- Ian, London
As a volunteer driver transporting athletes and VIPs across Sydney during the 2000 Olympics in special designated lanes or clearways it really worked very well as not all major roads were affected, only special roads to and from the various Olympic sites and the airport and hotels and the Olympic Village.
- Parash, Sydney, Australia
Well, well London's becoming more and more like the old days that I knew in east Berlin. when the Olympic types have gone ther will be a nice network for the party nomenclature to drive around unhindered by the endless London traffic jams.
- Ian Gurney, Brisbane, Australia
the Olympics will without doubt be a total fiasco, in which those with a vested interest get very rich from the public purse. to add salt to the wound the residents of london will be prohibited from the road to allow vips and other inflated egos to travel unmolested and unhindered by
the crude mechanical s and great unwashed who are paying for the privilege.
who decides who a vip is and how do you get on the selection list?
could it be a fat wallet, who you know. or what those with a vested interest believe they can get in return?
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
Well if the kids arent at school thats 500,000 chelsea tractors off the road dropping their brats off.
- Dc, London
Jim of London: the transport for the Beijing Olympics did indeed work well. China is a brutal tyranny that spent anything from £45 to £60 billion on their Games, it's now emerging.
- Mdj E10, london, uk
Everything weak and greedy nu laborites touch turns to dust, I have no doubt the London Olympics will follow that trend. Londoners will pay in cash and inconvenience whilst v.i.p.'s race past us with complimentary passes to to all the top events leaving those who paid cash money via taxes with tickets to the heats and minority sports.
- Les, London
the vip lanes worked very well in beijing. it should work well here too. the alternative? athletes get caught up in traffic and miss events? the doesn't bare thinking about.
- Jim, london
Typical Gov. if they bothered to travel on the roads in these parts of London they would see how grid locked they are never mind having special lanes, another waste of a good few £million no doubt
- Mike, London England
To Awesome Geronimo
The Olympic exspress routes were an intergral part of the original bid and insisted upon by the IAC. As you know the original bid was put in by Ken Livingstone and associates. I do not think, he would take too kindly at being accused of beint the author of a "Tory plan".
That all being said the Olympics should never have come to London. The bid was won on a bogus document, which I suspect was never expected to win. And yes why are the officials all in West London????
- Jeremy E, London
If the multiple rings of motorways around London that were planned in the 60s had been built we wouldn't have this problem. It is decades of inadequate and incompetent road building by successive governments that have led to this. Given the now fanatical anti-car ideology that grips this country, you have to wonder if the whole idea of bringing the Olympics to London wasn't intended primarily as a means of imposing yet more restrictions and congestion upon drivers.
- Dave, London
Sorry "Awesome Geronimo" of Leeds, this traffic mess was thought up by the previous car hating mayor, red Ken Livingstone.
Perhaps the whole country will be out of work by then and to poor to travel so it will not matter. Certainly the government have learnt something from having the last Olympics in China, that is how to treat your citizens!
- Terry Hudson, Herne Bay, Kent
The London Olympics should be cancelled. Its only
courting disaster to allow it all to go ahead plus,
we cannot afford it. Who are we trying to kid?
- David, Fleet UK
This is a typical Tory scheme. There will be money in it for their associates and their supporters and as usual, the inconvenience to the public will take second place.
- Awesome Geronimo, Leeds UK
Well if there was ever a time for the Mayor of London to come out in support of the "people of London" this is it. He seems very quiet on this particular topic that can only cause untold misery to us all. Go on holiday? I too busy trying to find a job for that luxury, £5,000.00 fines, what fool thought that one up, cannot pay, throw us in prison, what a way to treat the residents of London
- Anthony, West London
how many thousands of the funding were consumed in this research to stumble upon the blindingly obvious?
what further surprises of chaos and confusion will emerge
after much research by expensive consultants, that a five year old could have predicted?
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
I was told from a reliable source that even the issues raised in the Standard don't get close to the full extent of the clampdown. Apparently when the games were being bid, the agreed times were based on travelling all routes at 90% of the speed limit. That doesn't really allow for stopping at traffic signals, or even slowing down on corners.
I was told that to meet the bid times, in addition to the above, junctions on the routes will have to be closed off, streets closed, traffic banned, bus routes diverted or cancelled, pedestrian crossings removed, the full works! Not so much of a problem on the A40, but in Central London everything will be brought to a standstill for us plebs!
- James, London
I'm paying for these games, how come I'm not a VIP?
- David, Teddington
It will be interesting to see who is classified as a VIP!!
Bruce
- Bruce Page, London
It was done in Athens in 2004 without any undue chaos and beleive me if you the think the traffic is bad in London you should see it here!
- Keith Waller, Athens,Greece
To Bill from London - I'm booking my annual leave for that 2 weeks. Advise you to do the same. London will be HORRIBLE while the games bilge is going on. Marauding tourists everywhere - UGH!!!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
They're nuts... I love the comment about everyone being on Holiday. They're counting that everyone will rent their houses and leave to somewhere sunny. Well I'm not sure the Business Community will especially want to see all it's best workers off on Holiday for the same 6 week period! Good luck with keeping the Cyclist out of theses 'express' lanes, they dont stop for red lights as it is.
- Jonathan, London
Why has VIP treatment got to be so over the top?They are not any better than the working class man so why treat them like royalty because they are more famous?The plan is disruptive and stupid.Scrap it now.
- H.J.Jones, London UK
So how are we meant to get to work and back?
I will not be allowed to cycle and the tube will be packed with commuters and tourists during the hottest time of the year.
It sounds like the ODA wants us to pay for their recession ducking gravy train and then F off for the duration of the actual games.
- Bill, London, UK
All UK drivers/cyclists/pedestrians/commuters who are inconvenienced by the 2012 debacle must be given reductions in their road/council taxes. In an already overcrowded city it was sheer lunacy to bid for the games.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
To Alex Mckenna - I agree with you on principle but I don't think it's likely they'd want to stay out there when they could be somewhere more central with a lot more entertainment at hand. Entertaining entertainment, I mean, not just sweaty people running about and seeing who can throw what the farthest.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
There's little to choose between the Olympic ideal and fascism, is there? Job One; round up the gypsies and get them out of town.(Done!) Job Two: clear special routes for the Important People. Presumably they will be standing up in the back of Mercedes wearing leather coats, so we can see who we need to salute. These people are obviously more important than our government and royal family, who have never sought these facilities.
The germ of a solution may lie in the comment about enforcing fines against foreign cars: if we all pop over to France, buy old bangers and park them at critical times in the Ubermenschen lanes, this disgusting circus can be stymied.
- Mdj E10, london, uk
Has anyone actually worked out how much it will cost to create these "Zil" lanes for the Olympics and will it really justify the extra 10 or 15 minutes of time saved for a few runners and throwers? Compare this to the hours of extra jams that will be heaped upon the long-suffering motorists.
Actually, I know the answer: No, because no-one vaguely related to the economics of this project has the first idea how to add up.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
I hope this will be last Olympic Games EVER. They are just humbug and hype for the likes of Coe and all the "sports" establishment. Britain's failure to deliver will be a lesson for the world.
- Sandy, Ealing, UK
no doubt VIP's (and Politicians) will be able to use thes 'fast lanes' as well - remind anyone of moscow or China???
- Malcolm, London
An outsider (me) said that if traffic signals were properly phased and parking regulations properly enforced, there would probably be no congestion travelling to and from Stratford in 2012 or now.
- Bj, London
The fines are needed to recoup the four hundred thou paid for the crap graffiti logo currently defacing TV screens and vehicles etc.
- Thorrun, Brentwood UK
Couldn't they use public transport? We are forced off the roads through taxation and constantly reminded that cars are bad. Why are they so different? Are we required to bow and curtsey as they glide past in their chauffeur driven limos?
- Craig, London
Is it not time that it was pointed out to the self-important overbloated corruptocracy of the IOC that in current economic circumstances they cannot simply demand and expect to receive all they would like irrespective of the cost?
- Warren Hertzberg, London
The Olympic committee don't give a thought for the people of London.
We weren't even asked if we wanted the games.
I suppose we will just be expected to pay for this fiasco for a generation.
Residents and workers of London will have their lives made a misery just so that a load of 'athletes' and their hangers on can get around quicker.
Please, please, please, cancel the games before we are forced to waste even more money.
- Ann-Louisa, London
Let 'em walk & run, athletes aren't they?
- Donald Massey, macclesfield
Look, can I just point out something to the ODA spokesman, who thought that most people would be on holiday and therefore traffic would be lighter. The whole aim of this Olympic sized debacle is to attract people whether residents or visitors, otherwise one of the main reasons for hosting it (i.e. to generate income) proves worthless.
- Matt, london
These games are an anachronistic waste of time and money.
- Teddy, Islington, London
Choppers and airships would be one way around the problem. Seems someone needs to get their thoughts together of considering other options.
The statement that everyone with be "on holiday" at such a time is questionable! Can see a grid-lock situation and businesses devoid of necessary supplies.
- Tony Islander, Herts
I hope this insider has actually worked on other games. If you check any newspaper around this time pre Sydney, Athens and even Beijing you will get the same story about the olympic express ways not working - but they always do. Couple summer holidays with a large number of people who decided to get out of town for the duration..........
Can we have positive solutions if there are problems rather than our gold medal winning national sport of whinging!
- Ss, W6
I suppose it's too much to ask those so-important VIPs to stay in a hotel near the Olympic village? And the press people don't need to say in Russell Square surely?
- Alex Mckenna, Manchester
