Countdown to the olympics
London’s Olympic Stadium
A third of Londoners are expected to change their travel routines during the Olympic Games (beginning 27th July 2012 and lasting for 6 weeks) and crowds are likely to descend on busier tube lines disrupting regular commuters. For motorists, the congestion charge remains in place and £200 fines will be levied for straying on to special Olympic roads.
At present, an estimated 24 million trips are made in the capital on an average day – 4 million on London Underground, six million on buses and another 6 million on foot. This is expected to rise by at least 1 million trips during the Olympic period, and even with the natural drop off for the school holidays, businesses and workers still face inconvenience and delays. In particular, commuters using the Jubilee and Central line services to Stratford, East London, where the Olympic Park is based, are expected to see vast increases in the number of passengers.
Transport Biggest Risk
Transport problems remain one of the biggest risks to the 2012 Olympic Games, a London Assembly report has claimed. The city’s transport network is already running at near-full capacity. While on a good day the higher demand may be confined to a few travel “hotspots”, in the event of a broken down train or a security incident there would be a wider impact.
22 travel hotspots have been identified as likely to have an extreme surge in demand including King’s Cross and Victoria Stations along with the Embankment and the Blackwell Tunnel.
How Relocations Could Be Affected
Strict traffic restrictions will be put in place to help the Games run smoothly and manage the increased security risk in the Capital. Simply getting around London to view property will be slower, but receiving deliveries of furniture and shipped goods could also be a problem. An Olympic Route Network (ORN) will link all competition venues and non-competition sites such as Heathrow airport and main railway terminals. This will ensure that athletes and officials are able to reach their events on time whilst keeping London moving.
Central London Zone
Central London will host games venues, road events such as marathons and “live sites” such as Hyde Park where people will be able to watch the action on large screens. This means that large numbers of spectators and officials will add to the usual numbers of people in this area. Some traffic lanes will be closed to allow more space for pedestrians and the volume of traffic on other roads will be restricted.
Tips From County Homesearch
Getting around for viewings, and any sort of settling in or removals will be particularly difficult during the Marathons, race walks and cycle road races as most of central London will be closed off on these days. The most important dates to avoid are the 4th, 5th, 11th and 12th August. It may be best to also avoid scheduling any important travel on the days before, when many of the race routes will be set up.
Warning clients that there may be delays to shipment and cargo flights, as well as logistical delays to delivering goods during the Olympic period is also good practice. Either bringing forward or delaying relocations involving families may have an impact on school arrangements. Many families may hope to be settled before the new school year begins so bringing moves well forward of the Olympic Games period is advisable.
Posted on the 25th January, 2012
