Public Transport During London 2012 Olympics Chaotic

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London Mayor Boris Johnson urged Olympic dignitaries on Monday to take public transport during this summer's Games rather than chauffeur-driven limousines on specially designated lanes, to help avoid raising the ire of log-jammed Britons.




Some athletes failed to arrive for their events in Atlanta 1996.

That brought about the Olympic Route Network (ORN) for London.




Londoners have also been warned they face delays on the underground rail network at certain "hotspots" during peak times.

[Boris Johnson, London's Lord Mayor]:
"... most sensible way of getting around London in Games time is to go by public transport and I am certainly going to be doing that myself."




Transport officials launched a "Get Ahead of the Games" campaign on Monday including a website and Twitter to help the public plan journeys.




Workers on London's Underground rail network, known as the Tube, have just turned down an Olympic bonus offer.




But London's Transport Commissioner is confident strike threats will be resolved.

[Peter Hendy, London's Transport Commissioner]:
"We are expecting a lot of our staff to work longer, differently and harder and those are reasonable things to pay people more money for."

Hendy said London will struggle, unlike some other Olympic cities.




[Peter Hendy, London's Transport Commissioner]:
"So the transport system is old, the road system is old, we don't have the opportunity of five-lane highways as they did in Beijing, so we have got to plan much more carefully to ensure that we can get ticket holders to their events."




Many taxi drivers are threatening to go on holiday during the Games, fearing gridlock on the streets.




[James Budlowther, Taxi Driver]:
"I'm going to Spain, get out the way. I can't stand it. It's enough with the traffic now without going when the Olympics start. Can you imagine what it's going to be like? Chaos."




The two main Tube lines affected will be the Central and Jubilee lines, which both go to the Olympic Park.




Workers at Canary Wharf, where millions use the Jubilee line, are not confident.

[Alastair Cameron, Canary Wharf Worker]:
"No confidence whatsoever. It is already pretty disastrous when there is a minor delay, so the numbers they are talking about I don't see how it can possibly not affect the routes."




The ORN is shaping up as a major irritant to Londoners who already have to endure long delays on the capital's narrow streets.

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[Urbanjustil]

@heresteven  agree

[heresteven]

taxi drivers made the most money during the olympics. The meter keeps running if the car is moving or stuck in traffic.