Tfl have published detailed proposals for changes to bus services
during the Olympics.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...2012-games.pdf

I just wonder how bus services are going to cope with the traffic.

On 2012\01\03 08:40, Paul wrote:
Tfl have published detailed proposals for changes to bus services
during the Olympics.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...2012-games.pdf

I just wonder how bus services are going to cope with the traffic.

Where will they get all the extra buses! Are those decommissioned
bendibuses still sitting around somewhere, or will the tourists
expecting London to be full of red buses end up seeing every colour of
rented bus under the sun?

In message , at 10:06:05 on
Tue, 3 Jan 2012, Paul Corfield remarked:
quite how everyone will get up to speed about their side
roads being blocked or parking being suspended or even daft things
like people having their groceries home delivered if their street is
blocked off.

It shouldn't be that difficult to give the supermarkets a list of
postcodes and dates "off limits", and people will simply have to shop
the old fashioned way. What's more problematic are things like
postal/parcel deliveries and refuse collection, where we may find
"before noon" type services suspended for the former and a reduced
service for the latter.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 12:41:14 on
Tue, 3 Jan 2012, Paul Corfield remarked:
quite how everyone will get up to speed about their side
roads being blocked or parking being suspended or even daft things
like people having their groceries home delivered if their street is
blocked off.

It shouldn't be that difficult to give the supermarkets a list of
postcodes and dates "off limits", and people will simply have to shop
the old fashioned way. What's more problematic are things like
postal/parcel deliveries and refuse collection, where we may find
"before noon" type services suspended for the former and a reduced
service for the latter.

I'm thinking more about how the public understand all this. I am sure
the big companies will know about the arrangements but whose job is it
to make sure the public know? Is it TfL, the ODA, local councils or
private companies that have to tell the puiblic about the level of
potential disruption? I'm not having a go here at any organisation
but I rather suspect it hasn't dawned on people that basic aspects of
their regular routine may well be affected in ways they have not yet
understood.

If I lived near an Olympic venue or somewhere that's reasonably
predictable to be transport corridor I'd be expecting Olympic fortnight
to be a bit like Cup Final day in Wembley, the Millennium and a 14-day
London marathon street closure all rolled into one, and large areas
becoming essentially no-go areas.

There's been lots of "doom and gloom" transport headlines in order to
try to "adjust" expectations and routines but nothing on mundane
issues like "can I do the shopping?", "can I go down the pub", "will
the kids get to the sports centre?", "when will the bins be emptied?".

I'd expect suppliers of delivery/collection services to start warming up
their customers about two months in advance. For example, by emailing
out to affected existing regular customers, and putting warnings on
ordering websites. Although maybe they won't, after all we've just had a
virtual standstill for ecommerce for ten days and I don't recall anyone
other than the Post Office (with their regular Eeyore act over last
posting dates) saying anything at all.
--
Roland Perry

If I lived near an Olympic venue or somewhere that's reasonably
predictable to be transport corridor I'd be expecting Olympic fortnight
to be a bit like Cup Final day in Wembley, the Millennium and a 14-day
London marathon street closure all rolled into one, and large areas
becoming essentially no-go areas.

Well, I *do* live 15 mins walk from the main site, and to be honest, I'm
not expecting things to be hugely different to normal, at least on the
roads - I expect pretty much everyone who comes to Stratford will come
via tube or train. And if there's a part of town that's able to cope with
100,000 people descending on it over the course of a day via public
transport, then it's Stratford.

Lets not forget, if Arsenal, West Ham, Chelsea, QPR, Brentford, Orient,
Palace and Charlton are all at home on a Saturday (which probably happens
multiple times a season), then there's 150,000+ people moving around
sporting venues in London - which is probably in the order of people
moving around London during the Olympics on a daily basis, and NONE of
those stadiums have anything like the tube links of the Olympic Park.

I admire your positive outlook which is not shared by all who live near the Olympic site. I know several people who intend to be abroad on holiday, following the example set by London Hackney Cab drivers.

You mention 100,000 people arriving in the course of a day. We have been told that millions, not hundreds of thousands, will come to London for the Olympics. A normal sporting Saturday involves Londoners moving about. Most of those Londoners will still be here when the Olympics introduce vast numbers of new people.

I hope your optimism is justified. I'm keeping an open mind and an open diary.

On 03/01/2012 23:55, Richard wrote:

I know why my idea can never happen - they were removed based upon a
(charitable) "misunderstanding" and while they happily run around the
oldest cities in the world

OOI, does Baghdad still have double-deckers in service?


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at 15:35:51 on Wed, 4
Jan 2012, Robin9 remarked:
You mention 100,000 people arriving in the course of a day. We have been
told that millions, not hundreds of thousands, will come to London for
the Olympics.

There are supposed to be 6.6m tickets available to the public, about
half of which are for football (which is typically outside London). So
maybe there are about 5m "London" tickets altogether if you add in the
ones for sports insiders and sponsors. Spread over approx 10 days that's
500k/day. The main stadium holds 80k, and ExCel 40k. And you've also got
the officials, other staff, security, and not forgetting the athletes.

(If anyone has better numbers, I'd be glad to receive them).

ps. For an idea of the pre-planning, traffic estimates etc for one site,
see:
http://www.london2012.com/excel/cons...application.ht
ml
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message

In message , at 15:35:51 on Wed, 4
Jan 2012, Robin9 remarked:
You mention 100,000 people arriving in the course of a day. We have
been told that millions, not hundreds of thousands, will come to
London for the Olympics.

There are supposed to be 6.6m tickets available to the public, about
half of which are for football (which is typically outside London). So
maybe there are about 5m "London" tickets altogether if you add in the
ones for sports insiders and sponsors. Spread over approx 10 days
that's 500k/day. The main stadium holds 80k, and ExCel 40k. And
you've also got the officials, other staff, security, and not
forgetting the athletes.
(If anyone has better numbers, I'd be glad to receive them).

ps. For an idea of the pre-planning, traffic estimates etc for one
site, see:
http://www.london2012.com/excel/consultation-and-planning-application.html

Of course, there will also be many spectators at other events in the
main Olympics site at Stratford as there are a number of smaller arenas
(eg, aquatics, water polo, hockey, cycling, etc). Most will presumably
arrive by rail, typically at one or other of the two Stratford stations,
plus a smaller number from West Ham. I wonder if many people will have
tickets to two separate events on the same day?

I'm also guessing that the athletes and other sports insiders will make
little use of public transport when travelling to venues -- presumably
they have dedicated buses and cars (the infamous fleet of 4000 BMWs)?

In message , at 11:26:46 on
Thu, 5 Jan 2012, Recliner remarked:

You mention 100,000 people arriving in the course of a day. We have
been told that millions, not hundreds of thousands, will come to
London for the Olympics.

There are supposed to be 6.6m tickets available to the public, about
half of which are for football (which is typically outside London). So
maybe there are about 5m "London" tickets altogether if you add in the
ones for sports insiders and sponsors. Spread over approx 10 days
that's 500k/day. The main stadium holds 80k, and ExCel 40k. And
you've also got the officials, other staff, security, and not
forgetting the athletes.
(If anyone has better numbers, I'd be glad to receive them).

ps. For an idea of the pre-planning, traffic estimates etc for one
site, see:
http://www.london2012.com/excel/consultation-and-planning-application.html

Of course, there will also be many spectators at other events in the
main Olympics site at Stratford as there are a number of smaller arenas
(eg, aquatics, water polo, hockey, cycling, etc).

That's right, part of the gap between the 500k and the 80k (+40k ExCel
etc). I haven't totted up the total numbers on the main site, but
presumably there's a planning document a bit like the ExCel one, but
longer, with the predicted numbers in.

Most will presumably arrive by rail, typically at one or other of the
two Stratford stations, plus a smaller number from West Ham. I wonder
if many people will have tickets to two separate events on the same day?

As it was literally a lottery, and I don't think they had a concept of
linked events giving you a better probability of two tickets if they
happened to be the same day, probably very few.

I'm also guessing that the athletes and other sports insiders will make
little use of public transport when travelling to venues -- presumably
they have dedicated buses and cars (the infamous fleet of 4000 BMWs)?

The sports insiders will be more than the VIPs, for example atheletes'
families. I'd expect them to be using public transport.
--
Roland Perry