I assume TfL will pretend that the lane closure had something to do with
the Olympics but any experienced TfL observer will know that frustrating
and annoying motorists has always been TfL's favourite pasttime.

They've done the same thing this week on the A12 at Hackney Marshes.
The exit lanes at the Lea Interchange are Olympic Lanes but the
continuing lanes are not. So TfL coned off one of the two continuing
lanes and created a mega tail-back - with of course commensurate
air pollution - for no purpose at all . . . . except to annoy and frustrate
motorists. It certainly did not help the Olympics at all.

In addition, this week TfL have been playing around with traffic light phasing.
Presumably they'll pretend that was done to facilitate the Olympics. At
the Green Man Roundabout in Leytonstone, which is a large roundabout,
three lanes wide, the lights have been re-phased to allow only three
vehicles per cycle to enter the roundabout. The result is that the
roundabout is empty and therefore working at way below its capacity
while all the approach roads are clogged up. The entire length of
Whipps Cross Road has been solid, impeding access to the hospital
and blocking the Whipps Cross roundabout.