Concerns are growing that the capital will struggle with the huge influx of people during expected during the 2012 Games and Transport for London (TfL) have called on all London Boroughs and businesses to work with them ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics to help minimise disruptions.

The Transport Commissioner said that a total of 384 businesses employing just over 500,000 staff have already signed up for bespoke 2012 Games travel advice and also revealed that hundreds more organisations will be attending special Games transport workshops ahead of London 2012, which he said is crucial to ensuring the transport system does not come to a standstill during the Games.

"These new figures show that we are on track to get all athletes, officials and spectators to their events on time and keep London moving," Hendy told the London Assembly here.

"I am confident London will provide the stage for the greatest Games we've ever seen, but I also know that this is a huge logistical challenge that will rely on everyone working together.

"No two days will be the same during the London 2012 Games and we need London's Borough Councils to work together - and with us - to ensure we host a great Games and keep our city moving next summer.

"We're listening to and working with London's boroughs and the business community and we're responding to their concerns.

"That's why we've recently provided more detailed transport information and have promised more to come, all available on our new one-stop-shop online to make it as easy as possible to find and use."

The one-stop-shop website at www.tfl.gov.uk/2012 provides information showing how the busiest stations and locations across the tube and road networks will be affected during the 2012 Games.

It is designed to ensure that the busiest areas are avoided at peak times so that overcrowding and delays are prevented.

Hendy continued that the Olympic Route Network (ORN) and Paralympic Route Network (PRN) may not be the best way for the media to travel during the London 2012 Games.


The ORN and PRN are designed to make sure that members of the Games Family such as athletes, officials, International Olympic Committee (IOC) members and the media reach venues in time for the start of events.

The ORN and PRN have been used to transport key people in previous Games in Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and for the first time at a Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, with measures including temporary Games Lanes across the city during the Games.

Bloomsbury in central London will be home to over 5,000 media representatives from across the world who will travel to and from Olympic venues on shuttle buses operating from the Media Transport Hub in Russell Square.

"As part of its Host City Contract, London 2012 is obviously required to provide safe, secure and reliable transport services to members of the Games Family," said Hendy.

"But for all the journalists in Bloomsbury, I think they will quickly realise that London has a very good public transport system and that they would be better off using that to get to and from venues rather than waiting for the buses in Russell Square.

"There has been a huge investment in London's public transport system over the last few years because of the London 2012 Games and we have facilities in place such as the Javelin which will be able to get form St Pancras International Station in central London to Stratford International in seven minutes.

"So I think the media might actually find that they are better off using that rather than the ORN."

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