VIP LANES FOR OLYMPIC GAMES 'AN ABSURDITY' - Motorists slam planned ‘elite’ routes and warn of traffic chaos

Published: 06 August 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

MOTORISTS have warned that plans to partially close some of Westminster’s busiest roads during the London 2012 Olympics will cause traffic mayhem.

The Olympic Route Network includes temporary “Games Lanes” – reserved exclusively for officially registered vehicles – to ensure athletes, officials and journalists can whizz past traffic jams to the Olympic site in Stratford.

Other motorists will be herded into the remaining lanes, and drivers who stray into prohibited areas face a £200 fine.

Compared by critics to Soviet-style “Zil” lanes used by high-ranking Communist state officials, the plans will see two lanes taken away from some of Westminster’s most congested roads, including parts of the Westway, Marylebone Road, Baker Street and Victoria Embankment.

But the network has come under fire from motorists and bus users who fear it will cause gridlock in central London.

Carl Upsall, former chairman of the Marylebone Association, dismissed the scheme as an “absurdity.”

“Unless there is also priority given to buses this is going to cause huge levels of disruption for large numbers of commuters and residents,” he said. 

“I don’t see why the rest of London has to grind to a halt to accommodate a few VIPs. If they wanted to hold the games in Stratford then they should put people in hotels nearby. It raises the question of why [we should] put the big wigs up in the Dorchester.”

London Assembly member Murad Qureshi said: “I went to the Beijing Games and they had a number of specially dedicated lanes. But Beijing’s roads network featured a number of new motorways, and London’s roads simply aren’t large enough to emulate this type of scheme. 

“If you isolate one lane for Olympic use, plus the existing bus lane, that only leaves one lane for ordinary traffic. This could have a huge and negative impact on road users in the area – including pedestrians and cyclists.

“There is no reason why sponsors can’t stay closer to the Olympic site in Stratford, or to public transport links in Kings Cross and Euston. I dread to think of the impact it will have on air quality and congestion on roads like Marylebone Road.”

The route follows the Westway, Marylebone Road,  Park Road, Gloucester Street and Baker Street, Park Lane, Millbank, Abingdon Street and Victoria Embankment on its way to Stratford.

More than 80,000 people are expected to use the network, including 18,000 athletes and team officials, 5,000 judges, referees and umpires, 20,000 broadcast media and 8,000 journalists and photographers from across the world.

Recent Olymic Games, including Beijing, Athens and Sydney, have all used a system of temporary Games Lanes. 

John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said: “We have been working closely with our partners to take our operational planning to the next level and will continue to consult with Londoners on the plans. 

“Where Games Lanes are required there will inevitably be some temporary disruption to everyday life, but we must give athletes the best chance to train and compete effectively.