London firms 'should plan for Paralympics'

Date: 6/9/2011

The first Monday of September 2012 will mark the commencement of the Paralympics Games and with approximately 12 months to go, businesses in the UK's capital are being urged to start preparing for the event now.

Transport for London (TfL) notes that on September 3rd next year, not only will sports fans be flooding on to the city's travel network to enjoy the Games, but there will also be an influx of employees and young people returning to it following the summer break.

Indeed, the Department notes that 40 per cent of people in London believe the Paralympics will have some form of impact on their commute and with two million tickets for the event available, it warns that transport could be 'severely affected.'

Not only are businesses advised to work out their contingency plans so they can overcome these difficulties, but they are also urged to take advantage of the benefits being offered by the Games, such as increased custom.

Ideas for negotiating travel disruption include staggering office start and finish times, putting in place facilities to enable homeworking and arranging for deliveries to arrive earlier or later in the day.

The transport network itself is also undergoing changes in order to be ready for the Games, with Green Park tube station the subject of a transformation that has included the addition of new lifts.

TfL points out that this has provided step-free access for passengers using what it claims will be a 'key Olympic interchange' next summer.

Posted by Mary Treen