Radio Taxis Olympic Update - is your car driver lost?

LostOLYMPIC UPDATE.......................

WITH THE MAYORAL ELECTIONon 3rd May looking too close tocall at present, it’s no wonderthat the London’s traffic duringthe Olympic Games has enteredthe debate with all three of themain party candidates sayingthat they would do thingsdifferently.The main bone of contention is the Games Lanes –these are the “Olympic Family only” lanes that willcriss-cross London from Heathrow to Stratford,from Wapping to Wembley and from St John’sWood to Wimbledon.

It appears that the hullabaloo surrounding theGames Lanes has captured the attention of ourelected members of parliament as The TransportCommittee has now got involved in an enquiry overthe plans for traffic measures during the Olympics.See below:

Transport Committee invites written evidence onthe transport plans for the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games.

CALL FOR EVIDENCE:TRANSPORT AND THE OLYMPICS

The Transport Committee invites written evidenceon the transport plans for the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games, with a view to taking oralevidence in March.

In June 2011 the Olympics Delivery Authority(ODA) published the latest edition of their TransportPlan for the London 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames, presenting an overview of the proposedtransport arrangements for the games.

The Committee is particularly interested in:

� The impact on the road network resulting fromGames Lanes and the Olympic Route Network(ORN)

� Measures taken to manage travel demand duringthe Games

� The impact on public transport, includingaviation, of increased demand during the Games

� The effects of travel disruption for businesses andservices

� Delivery of a transport legacy following theGames

The Transport Committee previously reported on theODA’s Draft Transport Plan in 2007 (Transport forthe London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games:The Draft Transport Plan, HC 199).

We would be grateful to receive written submissionsby Monday 27 February.

http://tinyurl.com/6ogwefh

The plans that are in place, as I write, contain some alarming proposals, the effect ofwhich will not be apparent until the games start on July 27th. I have been part of ateam of trade organisations representatives that were consulted over the proposalsset out to allow the introduction of Games Lanes, and many more traffic restrictionsto help the flow of Olympic traffic and to allow for sections of roads to be closed as“Olympic hubs.” Russell Square is one such example as it will be closed because it isthe designated Press Hub for the Olympics. The trade representative group that I waspart of made several recommendations and offered various warnings of theconsequences of some of the proposals put forward. To be fair, quite a lot of what wehad to say was taken on board and as bad as it may be when the Olympics start, I cansafely say that it would have been a great deal worse if we hadn’t of highlighted someof the “knock on” effects of the original proposals.

One “route” of concern that will affect anyone and everyone travelling from east to west in thecapital is the “trunk-ing” of Victoria Embankment. Most traffic that travels west from The Highwayand past The Tower of London will head towards the Victoria Embankment and turn right atPuddle Dock for Fleet Street or turn right at Temple Place for Covent Garden or turn right atNorthumberland Avenue for Trafalgar Square. All of these options will be taken away. If you veertowards Lower Thames Street you will be locked into a “no right turn” trunk road that will forceyou down to Westminster Bridge – so this could become quite a “long cut” for many drivers.

Licensed taxi drivers know London well and will seek out alternatives to avoid getting trapped inthese Olympic routes but “untrained” drivers who are slaves to their SatNav’s will be lost.Consider the instructions blaring out from your satellite navigation system that wants you toturn right at every “normal” opportunity and you find that there’s an Olympic “no entry” sign.If the SatNav in your car or van doesn’t explode then you may at the frustration that theseOlympic Lanes are going to wreak on the non-professional driver.

Below is an example of the proposal to “trunk” Victoria Embankmentthat is current this side of the Mayoral election and any other alterationthat may surface from the Transport Committee enquiry.

Victor ia Embankment