Oct 23 2007
Three government decisions that do not help the Olympics
The decision to delay a decision to build Crossrail until 2010 owing to the leisurely timetable for the Bill and the design work guarantees this one new highly spun rail line will not be available for 2012.
Yesterday we learned that the government is increasing the restrictions available under Drought Orders for the next occasion when we have light rainfall. If such a period coincides with the Olympics, then it will be “Welcome to London and the dirty games” as people are told to reduce their baths and showers, and cars, windows and buildings have to go uncleaned. Instead of drafting new drought orders the government should crack on at a faster pace with installing more water capacity to ensure we have no such embarrassment over the Olympics. They can always draft Orders if drought hits again before they have sorted out the underlying problem, a shortage of good reservoirs and leakfree pipes.
Today we read in the papers that no-one will be allowed to go to the games by car, unless they are an athlete or a government Minister. London is to become like Moscow at the height of the communist empire, with Zil lanes for the rulers and train queues for the rest. The originally envisaged park and ride schemes are being dumped. Instead people will have to wrestle with several changes of train and bus if they want to reach the games venue for their choice.
This is a huge misjudgement, based on a misunderstanding of how inadequate train capacity is at the best of times, let alone when there is a potentially large surge in demand for travel. I have found when I want to go somewhere popular by tube they may close the tube station closest to the attraction on the grounds that too many people would otherwise use it! How come they can avoid doing this for the Olympics? Or will that be the ultimate little joke at the public’s expense, that when they near journey’s end they will be told they cannot get out where they want to owing to overdemand? This morning trying to use the District/Circle line system as always it was standing room only on trains delayed by the inability to get enough through the tunnels quickly enough. A fitful journey of stops, starts and delays fortunately did not harm people as we were frequently shoved around by the suddenness of the braking because we were too closely packed together to be able to fall far. How can we put Olympic travellers on as well?
We are going to need provision for cars to allow people from outside London to reach the games. Extending good park and ride facilities might well help, and this would be a good excuse to put some in. We also need to use all the road space available in London. It would be a good opportunity to rephase the all red traffic light sets, and to remove many of the needless humps, bumps, chicanes and bollards that resrict flows on main carriageways. People who use cars are not wicked. It often represents the only sensible way for them to carry out the whole journey. They will as taxpayers be paying for the games, so shouldn’t they be allowed to get to them and enjoy them?
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Do you honestly believe that ordinary British people will be able to attend the Olympics?
The ordinary British people will pay for the games via taxes, but will not be able to attend the more interesting and popular events. There will be hugh amounts of corporate hospitality, all the great and good will of course attend, but ordinary Britons? No chance… They will just be expected to pick up the tab.
Considering a primary reason for the failure of the Millenium Dome was its inaccessability by car I’d have thought the government ought to have learnt its lesson by now. This lot really do seem to be slow learners, perhaps they should be granted special needs status.
Quite right, I’m sure you will have been to Lords before now to watch a Test match. Now bear in mind Lords doesn’t hold anything like the capacity of an Olympic stadium, but the tube is simply overwhelmed when bad light stops play. Look out for weeks of utterly predictable chaos in 2012.