London Olympics 2012: get set for the gridlock games - Daily Telegraph
Yet even if there are no non-Olympic tourists at all (unlikely), and even if double the usual number of natives stay away from the office (less unlikely), almost half a million people will still need to converge on a small area of east London, including 300,000 spectators, 120,000 staff and volunteers, and 70,000 members of the “Games family” (competitors, sponsors, officials and media).
At peak capacity, the seven railway lines serving Stratford can handle 240,000 passengers an hour. That would be fine if Games demand was spread evenly through the day, and nobody else in London needed to use those services. But the demands of broadcasters mean that events in the most popular disciplines, such as athletics and swimming, tend to be scheduled in two blocks, one from roughly 10am to 1pm and the other from about 7pm to 10pm. So there will be sharp spikes in demand – and most people going to or from the Olympic Park will have to make at least one of their journeys in rush hour, just as the rest of the city is travelling, too. This is probably the moment to mention that the Underground has only had three entirely problem-free weekdays in the last year.
Even if it all works perfectly, the busiest stations will be swamped. At London Bridge, charts on the Games website show that you will have to queue for more than 30 minutes to board a Tube train during the morning and evening peaks, and up to 15 minutes even at 10.30pm. On the worst day, August 9, there will be six hours in total of half-hour-plus delays.
And don’t even think about driving: according to the TfL website, a journey from, say, Hammersmith (west) to St Paul’s (east) will take an extra 57 minutes. Some of the busiest roads in central London will be totally closed to normal traffic, including Whitehall, Constitution Hill and Birdcage Walk. Westminster Bridge will be one-way. The Mall, incredibly, will be off limits to everyone – including pedestrians and cyclists – for almost four months, starting this month and not reopening until the last day of September. It seems a high price to pay for beach volleyball.
Then there are the famous “Zil lanes” – 30 miles of Tarmac for the “Olympic family”, halving the capacity of key routes such as the Victoria Embankment, Knightsbridge and the Cromwell Road, and cutting Park Lane, the Westway and Euston and Marylebone Roads by a third. The Blackwall Tunnel southern approach, one of the busiest roads in London, will be partly shut throughout the morning rush hour, even though the only Olympic users will be a few hundred shooters and riders travelling from Stratford to Woolwich and Greenwich – and even they will be going the other way at the time.
Disruption is also happening far away from the Olympic sites: Russell Square, for instance, is being taken over as the media transport hub. Wanstead Flats has been commandeered as a police camp. A huge area of south-western suburbia will be closed over three days for the cycling. Thirty per cent of London’s road network will be affected in some way, often with restrictions that will stop you parking outside your own home or your customers parking outside your shop. Some firms nearest the Olympic Park are so worried about the effects on their recession-shrunk balance sheets that they believe the Games will put them out of business.
In the end, how these transport problems and restrictions go down will probably depend on how we feel about the Games themselves. The travel difficulties during the Jubilee went almost ignored: people put up with them because they loved the event and they love the Queen. The Olympics, so far, have often presented a much less likeable face: it seems improbable that a million people will line the streets to cheer the chief executives of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola as they sweep past in their Zil lanes.
Olympic organisers protest that sponsors who support the Games must be cherished. But that doesn’t seem to apply to the biggest sponsors of all: the taxpayers of Britain. Even the transport system itself is feasting from the buffet at our expense. Those striking busmen, demanding £750 extra for the favour of turning up to work during the Games, are just the latest in a line of greedy Tube, rail and Docklands Light Railway staff collecting bribes simply for doing their jobs.
The usual history of the Olympics is that the worries beforehand die down as people get caught up in the excitement. If Britain is winning lots of golds, if the sun is shining and there are things to go to for those without tickets, Londoners probably will decide to roll with the punches and take extra holiday. So the real key figures in how the capital is seen to manage may not be the hapless, fluorescent-jacketed transport officials, but Rebecca Adlington, Chris Hoy and all Britain’s other medal hopes. No pressure then, guys.
Euro 2012: London fire safety posters translated - BBC News
Foreign language posters have been produced to target the problem of people causing kitchen fires while drunk during the Euro 2012 tournament.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it hoped to prevent the city's different nationalities leaving cooking unattended after drinking.
The posters come in seven foreign languages including Polish and Russian.
It is the first time translations have been used for an international competition, said LFB.
'Diverse city'The fire brigade's research shows drunk Londoners cause two fires a day.
It also shows a quarter of those who die in fires have alcohol in their systems and over half of alcohol-related fires happen because someone has fallen asleep.
Posters featuring the slogan "Goal" above a burger, will appear in pub lavatories across central London.
The posters have been produced in French, Polish, Ukrainian, German, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.
They have been sent to different nationality newspapers in London, said LFB.
A spokesman for LFB said that the idea to translate posters was prompted by the BBC's story on London being considered France's sixth biggest city in terms of population.
He said: "London is a diverse city. It's not just England fans at risk.
"There was no extra cost and it will get the message out."
London Fire Brigade's commissioner, Ron Dobson, said: "During Euro 2012, many Londoners will go straight from work to the pub to watch the football.
"Our research shows cooking after having one too many plays a massive part in house fires and, sadly, one in every four fire deaths involves alcohol."
London 2012: Teenage weightlifter Zoe Smith makes Team GB - BBC News
Commonwealth bronze medallist Zoe Smith will make her Olympic debut this summer after being named in the five-strong GB weightlifting squad for London 2012.
Smith, 18, achieved the Olympic A standard twice and finished fourth at April's European Championships.
"I'm elated to have been selected for the team," said Greenwich-born Smith.
"It has been a nerve-wracking period ahead of selection, so I'm glad that I've secured my place to say I'll be representing Team GB!"
The teenager will be joined in the squad of five by veteran Welsh lifter Natasha Perdue.
GB weightlifter and Leeds City council worker Natasha Perdue
The 36-year-old who combines training with full time work at a refuse collection centre in Leeds will be following in the footsteps of her father, Terry, who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
"I can't describe in words how happy I feel and I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming," said Perdue.
"I waited two weeks for the call, and when it came I didn't want to answer it in case it was bad news.
"I asked them to repeat it about three times just to make sure."
Scotland's Commonwealth silver medallist -94kg Peter Kirkbride is the highest profile lifter in the three-strong men's squad.
The 24-year-old has endured a difficult 18 months after a series of injuries disrupted his training regime, but he hopes to be back to peak form by the Games.
GB weightlifting squad
Gareth Evans - Men's 69kg (26, Holyhead)
Peter Kirkbride - Men's 94kg (24, Hurlford)
Jack Oliver - Men's 77kg (21, Bexleyheath)
Natasha Perdue - Women's 69kg (36, Swansea)
Zoe Smith - Women's 58kg (18, London)
"I'm excited to find out about being selected as part of the team," said Kirkbride.
Winning Commonwealth silver was a great moment for me, and I hope to perform better than I did in Delhi."
Wales' -67kg lifter Gareth Evans, who left both his family and full-time job up to move to Leeds and train full-time with the GB squad, joins Kirkbride in the Olympic team.
"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It is testament to the sacrifice I have made and the hard work I have put in over the years.
"I would just like to thank everyone who has supported me so far."
Despite struggling at the Olympic trials in May, 20-year-old Jack Oliver is included in the team as a result of his promising displays over the past 18 months, which included British records at the World Championships.
"I feel ready to rise to the occasion and try to make my country proud," said Oliver.
The weightlifting events will take place between 28 July and 7 August at London's ExCel Centre at this summer's London 2012 Olympic Games.
London Irish forward Gibson on bench for England - Reading Evening Post
Jamie Gibson has been named among the England replacements for their tour match against the South Africa Southern Barbarians in Kimberley on Wednesday (2pm kick-off).
The absence of London Irish team-mate Jonathan Joseph suggests he could start the second Test.
The 21-year-old centre impressed after coming off the bench for the final few minutes in Saturday's 22-17 defeat in Durban.
He was involved in England's solitary try and, with Brad Barritt and Mike Brown both ruled out, is a contender to start in Johannesburg on Saturday.
His pace helped create a last-gasp try for Ben Foden and he showed his promise to fuller effect a fortnight earlier against the Barbarians when he scored two tries.
England coach Stuart Lancaster said: “Getting JJ on gave us a little spark that ignited a try.
"This is a tour to win games, clearly, but it’s also a tour to look at players and options."
Joseph was dubbed “the next Jeremy Guscott,” by his then coach at London Irish, Mike Catt, who, is now in charge of England’s attack.
“JJ is special, he creates something out of nothing,” Catt said. “His footwork is phenomenal and his ability to do things at pace creates space for others.
"He hardly ever makes an error, which is what distinguishes a great player from a good player.
"And, no, I’ve not saddled him with the Jerry Guscott tag because that’s something he’s going to have to cope with. He knows how good he can be.”
Alex Corbisiero, the other Exiles player in the 42-man party, has yet to feature due to a knee injury.
England also have a match against SA Barbarians North on June 19 before the third and final test in Port Elizabeth on June 23.
England (v South Africa Southern Barbarians): 15 Alex Goode; 14 David Strettle (both Saracens), 13 Anthony Allen (Leicester), 12 Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins), 11 Christian Wade (Wasps); 10 Charlie Hodgson (Saracens), 9 Danny Care (Harlequins); 1 Matt Mullan (Worcester), 2 Joe Gray (Harlequins), 3 Paul Doran Jones (Northampton), 4 Graham Kitchener (Leicester), 5 George Robson (capt, Harlequins), 6 James Haskell (Otago Highlanders), 7 Carl Fearns (Bath), 8 Thomas Waldrom (Leicester).
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs (Leicester), 17 Rupert Harden (Gloucester), 18 Tom Palmer (Stade Francais), 19 Jamie Gibson (London Irish), 20 Lee Dickson (Northampton), 21 George Lowe (Harlequins), 22 Nick Abendanon (Bath).
Rethink sets course for London 2032 - lfpress.com
Londoners began rethinking their city at a smorgasbord of sessions providing information about how we live, grow, green, move and prosper. About 300 people attended Discover Your City, first step in a year-long community discussion aimed at setting London's direction for the next two decades.
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LIVE
- How we live is about the quality of life, health and well being of all Londoners in all neighbourhoods.
- "Neighbourhoods are truly the heart of our community," said Lynne Livingstone, director of neighbourhoods and children's services. "They are where people and places come together."
- One fun way to talk about neighbourhoods: neighbourhoodguide.ca. Londoners can write about the gems in their neighbourhood. City hall preparing workbook to help residents create new community associations.
- There is a lot going on in London to strengthen neighbourhoods, but city staff want public's help to bring different initiatives together in the new official plan that will result from ReThink London. ReThink also wants to hear what specific neighbourhoods need.
- City's Spectrum recreation programs gets 350,000 visits a year, but city wants to know what parks and rec facilities and programs should be added, and where. One participant suggested considering building seniors' homes and social housing closer to parks so all can enjoy green space.
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GROW
- Key questions for residents: Does London grow up or out? Does the city grow by design or default? How do we better connect people in our city?
- London has no "skeleton" that determines what kind of animal it is. City-wide, residents need to determine how much land should be developed . . . where the new bones should go. Skeletal structure at neighbourhood level can be a road grid making it easier to get from place to place, or concentric circles that make pathways for people different.
- Growth shapes how we move in our city. London competes with every city -- from Tokyo to New York -- for companies, people and ideas. So the city has to determine what future generations want in their city.
- Imagine all baby boomers at London Life retiring. It may be easier for such a firm to find space in another city than to fill empty offices if future generations don't choose to live in London.
- Urban design is not only about how a place looks, but also how it works and how it's built. How it's built will determine if it's a place where people want to meet. "A lot of this is about building community," said Sean Galloway, urban designer for London.
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GREEN
- Key question: How do we become a more environmentally sustainable community and develop new ways to reduce our carbon footprint?
- There are 14 different subwatersheds in London. How do we get across that everything you do on your property affects a subwatershed?
- Projects are underway to get people out of vehicles and into better modes of transportation. How do we connect people who work at the same business and live in the same neighbourhood to carpool? A key way to reduce our carbon footprint is efficient public transit.
- W12A landfill has 13 years left; Londoners divert 41% of waste, but nearly 20% of what they throw away can be recycled. How do we stop that? Green bins have the potential to be the next generation of waste diversion in London, but are there other options?
- There are 4 million trees in London and the city has 24.7% leaf cover. Should we increase that cover? Better protect trees? Plant more trees?
- How do we balance needed development with protecting the woodlands, wetlands and environment?
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MOVE
- The way people move in our city influences how we grow and the overall quality of life for Londoners.
- London's transportation system is its largest asset, worth between $5 billion and $7 billion, with 3,700 kilometres of road lanes. There are 100 bridges in London.
- We can enhance quality of life by making our transportation system better. Giving people more choices for how they move in the city is key. How can we support walking, cycling and rapid transit to cut dependency on cars?
- While we can widen roads to support rapid transit and create a rapid transit corridor, we can also limit urban growth and encourage growth that supports transit, walking and cycling. We can also locate key destinations that can be served by transit.
- How do we get residents to use more active modes of transportation? How can we create safe routes to school so children can walk or bike, easing road congestion and making kids more active?
- Drivers need to recognize that motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists are vulnerable and curb their aggressive driving habits.
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PROSPER
- London is the major economic engine for Southwestern Ontario with a diverse economy that's helped us deal with economic swings. The city has recognized a strong economy is key and created an investment and economic prosperity committee working on a new economic development plan.
- Key question: How do we retain and attract a quality labour force? Students flow through the city every year, how do we get them to stay? How do we design a city that keeps them here and attracts new people?
- To generate economic prosperity and growth, we need to focus on quality of life and that means culture. Families who work in London want things to do after hours. Providing them will make people want to come here and stay.
- The city has cultural assets: the Thames River, five heritage districts, 13 museums, a grassroots theatre base and unique yellow brick.
- How do we fund the $700 million of great ideas being brought forward, such as Western University taking over city hall and Centennial Hall, while also servicing industrial lands, such as those along Veterans Memorial Parkway?
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WE ASKED: What was the most interesting thing you learned?
"The connectivity of neighbourhoods and the fact the official plan is looking at providing facilities and reusing older facilities in the neighbourhoods for the future."
--Dennis Lunau
"The main focus on whether London should grow up or grow out . . . and how those kind of affect how the city will develop."
--Matt Teeter
"The amount of . . . recyclable that is still in our garbage bags. And how we can talk our politicians into looking at the cost (of) recycling as compared to the benefits to the community."
--Richard Cook
"That there is a big plan (including) everything from vehicle traffic to pedestrian traffic and hopefully it (will) all be integrated with how we build our city."
--Sandra Miller
"Something I already knew . . . that growth isn’t just tied to how many quick jobs we’re going to get in the short term, but it’s about a long-term strategy."
--Sean Quigley
E-mail kelly.pedro@sunmedia.ca, or follow KellyatLFPress on Twitter.
London to be no-go zone for drivers during Olympic Games - The Guardian
Motorists will be warned to avoid central London and areas around all Olympic venues from mid-July onwards, with transport chiefs predicting large scale congestion in the fortnight before the opening ceremony as a deluge of athletes, officials and media arrive.
The crowds that have turned out around the country to greet the Olympic torch have increased the concerns of Olympic transport chiefs about the scale of the challenge in the runup to the Games.
Drivers will also be told to avoid the area around the 109-mile Olympic Route Network (ORN), making large areas of London an effective no-go area for six weeks from mid-July.
Since London won the right to host the Games in 2005 its crowded transport infrastructure has been an issue for organisers and critics.
Independent traffic management experts have warned of the danger of a perfect storm of problems around the opening weekend, but the London mayor, Boris Johnson, points to £6.5bn of investment in the transport system and has linked the unfounded "paranoia" to that surrounding the millennium bug in 1999.
A series of specific changes to the road system in and around London are being unveiledon Tuesday, including the reopening of the much criticised M4 bus lane as a Games lane from the weekend of 14 July.
"In a normal July you'd see traffic levels drifting off slightly as you ease into summer and things get easier on the roads, said Garrett Emmerson, chief operating officer, surface transport at Transport for London.
"This July is going to feel more like the runup to Christmas.
"Traffic is going to get heavier as more and more Games activity takes place. We've got to change London's network to cope with that."
When 20,000 members of the media beginning to arrive in the second week of July, traffic flow in the busy Kingsway tunnel will be reversed to "assist movements" at the media hotel hub in Bloomsbury and a series of signal changes will be made.
"It's very clear that London is going to be very crowded," said Emmerson. "That is going to start from the beginning of the week before the Games."
From 21 July, when the Olympic torch is due to arrive in the capital, the Olympic Route Network – including 30 miles of dedicated lanes – will be introduced, simplifying junctions, removing pedestrian crossings, banning right hand turns and removing parking bays. The full network will come into effect on 25 July, when the torch enters central London.
Recent serious problems with the Jubilee and Central underground lines and complaints about overcrowding during the jubilee weekend have renewed concern over transport during the Games.
Transport for London officials insisted the extended bank holiday was encouraging and proved that motorists would heed messages to stay out of central London, with traffic down 40%.
"People now get there is something coming down the tracks and they need to prepare for it," said Emmerson. "We now need to move into what they need to do about it and when."
He said TfL's Get Ahead of the Games website had had over a million hits.
Emmerson said TfL was "now very confident" about major employers and businesses that needed to change their delivery plans. "We now need to move them into operational phase."
According to TfL's predictions, there will be around 1 million extra people in London over the course of the Games making 3m extra trips.
But the effect will be mitigated by a reduction in the number of non-ticket holding tourists visiting London. The biggest concerns are over "hotspots" on particular days.
TfL has warned that rail and tube users face delays of more than half an hour at key stations, with London Bridge among the worst affected.
London 2012 organisers and local authorities will start to introduce parking restrictions in mid-July. The handful of tow trucks that usually operate in the capital will swell to about 70 at Games time to remove cars that block the ORN and restricted parking zones.
TfL plans to employ 3,000 back office staff on the street in magenta tabards to provide travel advice. Each will be given an iPad to allow them to deliver up to the minute advice.
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