A report released Friday by London’s municipal government shows that London’s transport infrastructure is still “one of the biggest risks” to the smooth running of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
London Assembly transport committee chair Val Shawcross said that the city’s aging transport network could struggle under the load of a predicted 5.3 million extra visitors during the Summer Games.
In the report Shawcross said, “In 2012 London is facing extreme demand placed on a network already creaking at the seams. This is not just about spectators and visitors being able to get to and from events. Londoners will need to go about their everyday business too”.
The report also said that most of the 30 planned improvements to London’s transport infrastructure have been completed or are on course for completion this year. But improvements to the London Underground Jubilee Line, specified in London’s bid for the 2012 Games, are behind schedule. Although they were expected to be completed in December 2009, the city’s transport body now says it will have the work completed by this June.
Shawcross said, “spectators and Londoners will also need to respond positively to 2012 travel advice. In the run-up to previous Games, host cities have often launched publicity campaigns or ‘the big scare’ to encourage people to change their travel habits”.
The committee said that “the travel hotspot areas include two of London Underground’s busiest stations – Victoria and King’s Cross – where control measures are already required almost every day during peak hours to manage overcrowding and allow the stations to operate safely”.
The busiest travel days during the Games are predicted to be August 3 and 4.
