Oh the Olympics – The Main Event Is Going To Be Congestion.
It’s predicted that another cost of the London Olympics this year is going to be ever increasing congestion with figures of a 33% increase being claimed.
Some roads in the City could slow to as little as 12mph during the July/August Olympic events and the worst days are anticipated to be the first 3 days of the event, what with the opening ceremony etc and worst of all is likely to be Friday 27th July, which is already one of the heaviest congestion days, because its already one of the busiest holiday weekends in the year and even in normal times, sees traffic levels up by around 30%.
Another thing you will have to contend with is the Olympic Cycling, which will see thousands of roads closed across Surrey and the South Western parts of London. Indeed, you might remember back in August 2011, they ran a ‘trial event’ to see how it all worked and that was a disaster, with journeys of just a few miles taking several hours and indeed, some motorists being forced to abandon their cars completely.
Its hoped that visitors to the Olympics will use public transport and park and ride schemes, which have I understand capacity for around 18,000 vehicles in Essex and a further 9,000 spaces in Ebbsfleet.
Anyway you cut it, the message is clear, if you live in London, or need to travel through London, its going to be a nightmare for you and it seems leaving much earlier than normal and getting home late is going to be a cost that Seb Coe didn’t build into his budget, as it’s a cost that’s going to be paid by you and me.
