LONDON VAUXHALL DEALERS

• Work on 1,300 signals will start on July 1 to make sure it is all up and running in time
  
• More misery for commuters because they have already been warned to avoid trains and tube if possible

By Martin Robinson

PUBLISHED: 04:07 EST, 12 June 2012 | UPDATED: 05:23 EST, 12 June 2012

Motorists will have to avoid central London from up to a month before the Olympics start so its hated VIP 'Games Lanes' can be up and running in time.

From July 1 more than 1,300 traffic lights will be adjusted to automatically turn green to speed chauffeur-driven dignitaries to venues, while millions of ordinary drivers face gridlock.

These 30 miles of road, part of a wider 109-mile circuit called the Olympic Route Network, will whisk VIPs from their hotels around Park Lane and Mayfair to the venues across the capital in luxury BMWs.

Commuters using public transport have already been warned to take holiday, work from home or travel early or late to avoid chaos on the trains and tube in the same period.

Transport for London said today they must start work on the traffic lights and new road barriers by the start of next month to make sure lanes are running properly two days before the opening ceremony on Friday, July 27.

They also claim that despite more red lights for normal motorists a ban on roadworks will improve the situation as long as fewer motorists drive into London.

And that the traffic will start to really build up two weeks before the Games when athletes, media and dignitaries arrive, culminating in the London legs of the torch relay in the days running up to the main event, they say.

'During the Games, London will be turned into a massive sporting and cultural venue. We have plans in place to get all athletes, officials and the world’s media to their Games events on time and to keep London moving and open for business,' TfL's commissioner Peter Hendy said.

Plan: Much of the the route will run people to the Olympic Park, pictured,

Busy: Commuters have already been warned to take holiday, work from home or travel early or late to avoid a packed tube system

'From mid-July, central London and areas around Games venues will be much busier than usual. The ORN, which is part of the host city contract for the Games, will be a vital part of managing the busy roads and delivering a great Games.

'It will come into operation on July 25, a couple of days before the opening ceremony.

'Our advice to motorists is clear. From mid-July, avoid driving in central London, around the ORN and Games venues.'

The ORN and the Games Lanes will be enforced from 6am to midnight. They will shut again a couple of days after the Games and will not run between the Olympics and the Paralympics, which start on August 29.

The designated lanes will be set aside for athletes, coaches, administrators and even 25,000 'marketing partners', meaning regular drivers will face traffic jams and travel delays on their way to work.

Fleet: These luxury BMWs will chauffeur VIPs around London during the Olympics

The 25m Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be operational for 17 days of the event, covering the fortnight-long competitive period and a number of days before and after.

The Paralympics will also result in restrictions but they will cover a much shorter period.

Millions of drivers and commuters in London and the South East around the M25 will be hardest hit as jams and journey times increase by a third, traffic on key routes slows to just 12 mph, with the rush-hour traffic peaking 90 minutes earlier at 5.30am and 3.30pm, adding an average 20 additional minutes to a one hour journey.

But this could easily double to 40 minutes in the worst cases. In the 'worst case scenario' the Olympic opening ceremony could be held in 'a half empty stadium' because the other half are stuck in a jam.