Even so, public vehicles will be able to use the majority of it and a spokesperson for TfL has confirmed that: “Only one-third of the ORN is ‘Games Lanes’ for sole use by the media, athletes, officials, sponsors and IOC members. As for public transport, some buses will
run more frequently, others will be diverted due to road closures or restric- tions. But it’s the tube that will give you the biggest headache. On certain days and at certain times of day, some stations will operate differently and measures may include entry or exit only, or one-way movement within the station. Also, with reports warning of hour-long queues at the busiest stations, TfL advises topping up or buying your Oyster card in advance. Think about switching partway
through your journey from the tube to the river, too, especially if you’re one of the 100,000 people working at Canary Wharf. A special nine-minute catamaran shuttle service will operate along the Thames from London Bridge, on a first- come first-served basis – a good alternative if you want to avoid the expected delays on the Jubilee line.
of limited use as some key roads may be closed off and parking spaces will be in short supply,” says Pauline. If you have arranged tickets for
Olympic events and are booking travel by train, your attendees will get special rates on rail travel from anywhere within the UK. “But the tickets must be booked in advance,” warns Pauline. Also, “if the nearest London station is expected to be very busy, consider organising travel to a nearby station and then booking a taxi to the destination,” recommends Sam Cox from SilverDoor. Travel by private jet will need to be
planned carefully, too, adds Sam: “Air- space will be heavily restricted, particu- larly from 14 July to 15 August.” Although all London Airports will be open for pri- vate aviation, some modifications on the usual arrangements will apply, confirms Adam Twidell, CEO at private jet book- ing platform PrivateFly. “London City, Luton, Gatwick & Biggin Hill will all require special Olympic Air Traffic Slots; Oxford, Southend, Farnborough and Stansted will be used as overflow and as ‘parking lots’, and RAF Northolt, Lon- don’s premier VIP airport, will be closed between 27 July and 12 August,” says Adam. “If you want access to your clos- est airport book your jet early.” As for pub- lic air travel, “avoid Heathrow on 13 August as this is expected to be the air- port’s busiest day,” says Pauline. E
Whichever way you look at it, moving
at less busy times, or by using less busy routes and types of transport. Think about altering your route to work, get off at an earlier stop and walk, or cycle. If you haven’t got a bicycle, how about hiring a ‘Boris Bike’? The public bicycle sharing system, sponsored by Barclays Bank, allows you to pick up bikes (and drop them off) at thousands of kiosks through- out the city. Another alternative is sharing car lifts or using a Zipcar. “We have over 1,500 vehicles available at convenient res- idential locations across the capital,” says Andrew Barclay, Zipcar’s Marketing Direc- tor. If you manage to persuade your bosses to take out corporate membership, you can book a Zipcar from just £5 per hour includ- ing insurance and congestion charge. If you decide on travelling by road,
remember that the Olympic Route Net- work (109 miles of roads connecting key venues across London) will be in opera- tion shortly before and during the Games.
around London during the Games is set to be a logistical nightmare and TfL suggests going for a drink or taking in a show before going home. Or, booking a holiday....
Booking business travel Even if you don’t work in London, your boss may have to travel in for a regular meeting, or you may have arranged cor- porate hospitality based around the Olympic events. “Bear in mind that Lon- don’s venues will be very full, and will become harder to book the closer we get to the Games,” says Pauline Houston, Hotel Programme Director at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “Consider moving meet- ings to outside of London or into the period before and after the Olympics, but be prepared for June and October to be more expensive than usual.” You also need to consider how to
move your boss or delegates around as smoothly as possible. “Think twice about having them drive – a car is likely to be
Measures being put in place by TfL: 1Extra capacity on the Jubilee and Central lines, and extended London Overground services on the East London and North London lines.
1Greater capacity at Kings Cross St Pancras and Stratford, and a high speed Javelin service between the two stations.
1Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extended to Woolwich and Stratford International.
1Tube, DLR and Overground services to run one hour later than usual, till 1:30am.
1A modified London Tube map at
getaheadofthegames.com highlights travel ‘hot spots’: 23 stations that will be exceptionally busy and best avoided.
1Taxi and minicab companies fully briefed on planned changes in road operations.
1Around 200 extra buses. 1Extra Thames river services.
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