Things are gearing up rapidly for the London Olympics

[Tom Bainbridge]

Several local stories, in no particular order.

1. Olympic prority road lanes are all marked out, it is going to be chaos for us locals :)

One road I have travelled 8 times in 10 days including this morning, "Hyde Park" has 4 lanes each way. On one side, two lanes are dedicated bus/taxi lanes and have been for years

During the olympics it will be reduced to one lane for locals.

The fine for using any of the restricted lanes is 130 pounds sterling. The fines are generated by the traffic cameras(with no human interaction) ........ personal experience of bus lane infringement by me...... The fines lands on your doorstep in 2 working days

2. Local residents on one "tower block" are putting up a legal challenge to army putting SAM missiles on their roof on the basis that they think they will be will be terrorist targets

3. One raised section of the M4 (motorway) "the route" from Heathrow airport to London was shut in the last two days for repairs. Hairline cracks have been found in one of the supports (built in the 1960s) ........ "THEY" are repairing all of the raised section supports in that area. That area is in "traffic armageddon / gridlock" as I write

[tjbnwi]

I guess we should be glad Chicago did not get the Olympics.

Tom

[Tom Bainbridge]

tjb. I've just understood, what you mean. I now recall "The Blues Brothers" film and the raised train lines? on steel supports with roads underneath

The M4 support repairs would pose the same problem in Chicargo

No real difference, except ours are newer? and built in reinforced concrete rather than steel

Update on the support cracks. Today, some government minister, has "spouted" that the support cracks are new and are result of very recent M4 works in relation to the Olypmpics. Aparantly there are 64 new cracks

My guess is that it is "kock up" rather than conspiracy. Like all demoracies, the UK govt useless at conspiracy.

Like all democracies they are brilliant at "kock ups" that the rest of us find UTTERLY baffling.

[Mbeezo]

so what will traffic be like most days? Especially the closer you get to the place where the events are being staged. Or for some of the bigger sports?

I do not follow the O very closely but know a guy who went a few years ago. One of his tickets was for the curling event. Said it was one of the only tickets he could get at a certain time when he has some open hours. He said it was kind of funny to see the place really pretty full until he sat down and talked to some folks around him. Some were there to support the players and others liked the sport, others were just there because they could get the tickets under the same circumstances he did. His whole thing was I am going and there better not be an hour that I am not at something if it is going on. Have no idea what it cost him to go and see things.
Actually think it might not end when the ceremonies are over. Suspect that folks may hang around for a while before they all leave town.

[jimAKAblue]

I like curling. I always think that I would easily put a whupping on them but I know that they would shut me out every time. When I lived on the lake up in MI, I was looking for some stones. Then I found out that the lake wouldn't freeze solid every year. And, the years that it did freeze, it would snow on it and ruin it. I only had one good month of ice up there: my first year. Never had skating ice again.

[Hoover]

I guess we should be glad Chicago did not get the Olympics.

Tom

The mayor of Boston made bids a few times for the Oympics, non got more than lower stages. He was out of his flipping mind (he is literally all the time anyway) for even thinking such a thing. The traffic around here would be a nightmare. Also, Boston and the surrounding areas are densely populated, and towns and road go back to the 1600's, so things were not set up for todays society.

The cost of them too would be ridiculous and they could never build things on time here. We have local bridges a few hundred feet long that take over 10 yrs of actual construction. Chicago would have been just as bad with all the corruption, Boston has plenty too.

One thing people don't know about boston too is there are few hotel rooms vs. what there should be for a city this size. Hotel rooms in boston are more than NYC, etc. because there are few, so they charge more. Supply demand stuff. And there would never be even close to enough hotel space for the olympics. There is talk about trying to get the Super bowl at some point but they'll never do it because there are not enough rooms.

Tom can chime in but I believe the London Oympics are projected to lose money. The costs are so great for these things. I think most of them over the past decade have lost money or made very little.

[Dick Seibert]

Just look at what's happened to the new facilities in China for the Beijing Olympics, and that was only four years ago!

[Hoover]

Just look at what's happened to the new facilities in China for the Beijing Olympics, and that was only four years ago!

I think London will get some use out of their venues but the expense putting these things on is huge and to me, not worth it at all.

[Tom Bainbridge]

Hoover, you are right. The London Olympics are looking at permanent benefits for some of the venues

One of the many, is that companies where formed (when the Olymic bid was won) with the specific intention of converting termporay accommodation for the atheletes into new housing

One Kiwi I know moved to London within 3 months of the bid being successful for that one purpose.

[Hoover]

Hoover, you are right. The London Olympics are looking at permanent benefits for some of the venues

One of the many, is that companies where formed (when the Olymic bid was won) with the specific intention of converting termporay accommodation for the atheletes into new housing

One Kiwi I know moved to London within 3 months of the bid being successful for that one purpose.

.

Any idea on the total (all venues, marketing, etc) financial picture looks like? Security excluded.

[Tom Bainbridge]

It was originially sold to the country at 2.4 billion pounds sterling. It is now 9.4 billion pounds sterling

Of the 9.4 billion, the security budget is 600 million plus 20 percent VAT

Scroll down to financing on this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics

One very recent report. 13 June. suggests the project may come in at slightly less although the policing and security has increased considerbly since the 9.4 billion figure

The population of the UK is in the order of 56 million. The working population of the UK is around 30 million.

IF.............. i have the correct number of zeros.......... 9.4 billion shared by 30 million working people works out as

9 400 000 000 divided by 30 000 000 (working people) = 313 pounds sterling each, that equates to approximatly 500 us dollars each

I've rounded up because the working population is closer to 29 million

Do I care about the cost in the middle of a global rescession ? Yes

Can I do anything about it? No


........... IF have got my Zeros correct. If my zeros are wrong I am out by a factor of 10 (either way)

[Hoover]

It was originially sold to the country at 2.4 billion pounds sterling. It is now 9.4 billion pounds sterling

Of the 9.4 billion, the security budget is 600 million plus 20 percent VAT

Scroll down to financing on this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics

One very recent report. 13 June. suggests the project may come in at slightly less although the policing and security has increased considerbly since the 9.4 billion figure

The population of the UK is in the order of 56 million. The working population of the UK is around 30 million.

IF.............. i have the correct number of zeros.......... 9.4 billion shared by 30 million working people works out as

9 400 000 000 divided by 30 000 000 (working people) = 313 pounds sterling each, that equates to approximatly 500 us dollars each

I've rounded up because the working population is closer to 29 million

Do I care about the cost in the middle of a global rescession ? Yes

Can I do anything about it? No


........... IF have got my Zeros correct. If my zeros are wrong I am out by a factor of 10 (either way)

How is the traffic situation working in general and you specifically.

[Tom Bainbridge]

Some of the olympic lanes are already in operation, mainly down the M4 (motorway) Heathrow to central London. All the lanes go live on 29 July

The nearest olympic lanes to me are less than 6 miles away

Some of the central London lanes are in operation and have had a direct effect on me for about 2 weeks

My normal route that goes through Hyde Park is affected. My normal 15 miles in the morning (before peak traffic) takes 1 hour 15, it is now taking 1 hour 30 in the morning. In the evening the 1 hour 30 is now at 2 hours. My guess is that during the olympics we will be on our toes at 3:30 pm

Other roads have had the traffic light durations changed, what a 'mare

In one very congested 3 mile section on the A2 that I use regularly, normally takes 10-15 minuites to negotiate....... is now a real pain, 30 - 40 minutes

I guranantte that on 29 Jully when all the olympic lanes go live, that first day will be mess.

EDIT My other option to central Lonodn without tools is by train and underground. 1 hour door to door including a 15 minuite walk

The underground will be affected, we are expecting an additional 1 million passengers per day. So far the highest numbers were shy of 25 million in a week in Christmas 2011 (about 3.5 million a day)

.......... add an additional 1 million a day, may be 4 million passengers a day?

[davenorthup]

Sounds like taking 3 weeks off and renting out your place might be a better plan.. :)