Games lanes to be reopened

Date: 30/7/2012

Some of the road lanes in London, which have been designated as Games lanes for the Olympics are to be reopened.

It comes after the first working day of the event has seen none of the expected congestion on the capital’s roads with many workers putting contingency plans into action.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said that VIPs deciding to travel by public transport has meant that there is less demand for the lanes, which were specially painted with Olympic rings.

He said: “Actually, we’ve been able to turn off a lot of the Games lanes because so many people are going by public transport.

“It turns out a lot of the Olympic bureaucrat types who could go in the Games lanes - the T3 people as they’re called - are using public transport.”

Fines were to be given to anyone driving in them who did not have special permission to do so during the Olympics which began on Friday with the opening ceremony.

Mr Johnson announced that he is pleased with the way that the Olympic Route Network and (DLR) Docklands Light Railway are holding up to the pressure on the first day that it has been truly tested.

He also reported that Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee, had used the DLR to travel around and had found it comfortable.

Some roads were slow moving however, with the A4 and A40 experiencing slow moving traffic, but nowhere near as bad as the gridlock which had been predicted.

Many of the Games lanes in the centre of London were put to good use by officials and athletes moving around, and these will stay in force throughout the event.

A spokesman for Transport for London, said: “So far this morning the public transport system and London’s roads are working well as commuters travel to work and spectators travel to the Olympic venues.”

The official advice for anyone wishing to travel to or around the city is that they should plan their route in advance.

It is likely that different areas will be affected each day, so anyone working in London should make sure that they keep themselves up to date with the latest information.

Posted by Mary Treen

Transport News and Transport Consulting News