Transport for London (TfL) say that there will be up to three million extra journeys during the busiest days of the Games, in addition to the 25 million made every single day by Londoners.

TfL also estimate that two thirds of stations and 70 per cent of the capital's road network will be unaffected during the Olympics.

By contrast though, those areas which are particularly busy during the Games, such as Westminster, Earl's Court, London Bridge and of course Stratford, will be tested by the vast increase in passengers using the stations and lines serving these venues.

Some of the most heavily used stations will require a drop in ordinary usage of up to 60 per cent to cope with the increased demand.

In order to meet that target, the Get Ahead of the Games campaign will give the public the information they need to plan ahead and find alternative transport, so that they avoid delays to their journeys.

Together with London 2012, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Network Rail and the Highways Agency, TfL are encouraging the public to make their alternative plans via a new website, www.getaheadofthegames.com, as well as following them on twitter using the @GAOTG feed.

Both will provide information on when and where the most congestion will be during the Games, while giving further travel advice.

As part of the campaign, thousands of bright pink signs with Games specific travel advice went up across London, and will help spectators find their way around the capital during the Olympics.

Posters, radio bulletins, online advertisements and other campaign tools will also be used to keep the public informed.


There is also information about the Olympic Route Network (ORN), which stretches for 109 miles, and of which, roughly a third will include Games routes specifically for athletes, officials and other key personnel –though the entirety of that route will be formed by multi-lane roads.

Speaking here at the campaign's launch, London Mayor Boris Johnson (pictured above left) said: "Some Olympic sceptics say they will flee London and predict tumbleweed will flow down Shaftesbury Avenue...I think they're wrong and will be missing a huge opportunity.

"There are busy points, if you're going eastbound at peak time on a Games day on the Jubilee line you will have plenty of company.

"But 65 per cent of tube stations and 70 per cent of the road network will be unaffected even during Games days."

Johnson emphasised the business opportunities available, encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities on offer, while encouraging the public to be part of what he described as a "bonanza of cycling".

He also touched on the potentially controversial issue of, as he described them, "fat cats" charging down the ORN Games routes while ordinary commuters may be stuck in traffic.

Asked directly, he took the opportunity to tell FIFA President Sepp Blatter to mix with ordinary Londoners on the capital's tube and bus network, urging the Swiss man and his fellow International Olympic Committee (IOC) members to take public transport during London 2012.

London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe (pictured above left) added: "The scale of the Games is unprecedented.

"Across both Games there will be 14,000 athletes, 7,000 technical officials, more than 20,000 media and 11 million spectators.

"The Olympic Route Network is a mass transit system which allows us to manage Games traffic and get those involved where they need to be and the campaign we're talking about today will give people all the information they need to plan their journeys this summer.

"Many thousands of businesses are already working to help their employees get to and from work this summer and London's residents can now do the same.

"Success depends on all of us doing our bit to keep London and the UK moving."


After the campaign's launch, Britain's 11 time Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson told insidethegames that it was an opportunity for members of the public to stay in London rather than travelling home after work and capture the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"It's such a different atmosphere during Games time, when people finish work at five to six, come and watch on big screens," she said.

"I think people just think differently, it's not a normal boring commute.

"You might see someone else with Union Jacks and you wouldn't normally talk to someone on the tube but you might as they're on their way to the Games.

"There's a different spirit about and I hope people enjoy that.

"There will be a lot of people for whom sport doesn't mean anything but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the atmosphere and everything else that is around."

Justine Greening MP, the Transport Secretary, said that today marked the start of a discussion with the public about how to keep London moving and ensure minimal disruption.


"We can look forward to an exciting Olympics and the boost to jobs, business and tourism it brings," she said.

"Millions of spectators will enjoy the Games and our roads and railways will be busier.

"It makes sense for businesses and commuters to plan ahead so we can have a successful Olympics and reduce the impact on our transport network."

London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy called on the public to look at how the Olympics would affect them: "We've got two objectives, to host a great London 2012 Games and keep London and the UK moving.

"We've been working with businesses for over a year now to help them prepare.

"It's now time to start talking directly to those who live and work in affected areas, in London and across the UK.

"So check out where the hotspots are, plan your travel and 'Get Ahead of the Games' this summer."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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