Transport Plans to "Keep London Moving"; LOCOG Revenues Top Targets

(ATR) London's transport chiefs confirm that the specially designated Olympic lanes to speed athletes and officials to venues will be opened up to all traffic when capacity is available in a bid to prevent major congestion during the Games.

Transport for London (TfL) said Tuesday it's close to implementing the Olympic Route Network (ORN). Traffic Regulation Orders will be made on the 109-mile network, which covers just one percent of London’s roads.

TfL said the Olympic lanes, which will be in place on one-third (30 miles) of the ORN, "will operate flexibly at Games-time and opened up to all traffic at times when demand from Games family vehicles is low and capacity available".

A network of 150 Variable Message Signs along the route will advise motorists when the Games lanes are open to regular traffic throughout the day.

Motorists who drive in the Games lanes when they are not meant to face a penalty fine of $315.

London 2012 organizers also published proposals for traffic management and parking restrictions around all Olympic venues. They include some road closures or restricted access and controlled parking zones when events are underway.

"We have to ensure that spectators can get from transport links to venues safely, whilst providing a reliable and secure transport service to get athletes, officials and media into venues," LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton said.

"We want to do this in way that also takes into account the people who live and work near those places and minimize disruption to them. We don’t want spectators driving to venues and parking on residential streets, we want them to take public transport. Equally we want local businesses to thrive this summer and we are determined that London will be open for business during the Games," he added.

Consultation with residents and businesses will take place before these plans are confirmed in late April.

LOCOG Revenues Exceeding Targets

LOCOG said it's on track to meet its goal of raising $3.2 billion to stage the Olympics.

CEO Paul Deighton told Reuters that he expected revenue from sponsorship and ticket sales to exceed original predictions.

"One way I describe our project is trying to land about 2 billion pounds of revenues, with about 2 billion pounds of costs. We have got committed just over 92 percent of the revenues we need," he said.

A total of $1.1 billion in sponsorship deals alone have outstripped initial forecasts thanks to LOCOG securing a wave of partners before the global economic recession took hold.

The remaining 8 percent of revenues will be generated from ticket sales and merchandising. Ticket income is on track to top $945 million.

There are still 1.5 million tickets for the Olympic football tournamentsto be sold. A further 1 million of contingency tickets held back from the first two ballots will also go on sale next month with priority given to those who have previously applied for tickets but were unsuccessful the first time around.

Minister Stresses Legacy Benefits

Olympics minister Hugh Robertson on Tuesday insisted that there would be a legacy of sports participation from the Games, despite repeated concerns that the government has failed to deliver on London 2012's bid book promises.

"Sport in this country will benefit greatly from hosting London 2012 at all levels – from elite athletes to the grassroots," Robertson said at the opening of the Europa Centre, a southeast London 2012 training venue.

"It is a massive opportunity for us to drive change and encourage people up and down the country to choose sport. We are doing all we can to put the building blocks in place so that sport isready to capitalise in the days, months and years that follow London 2012."

He highlighted 10 key components which combined form the sports legacy from the Games.

They include: elite and community sport to benefit from the increase to sports share of lottery funds; world-class facilities; a decade of top sporting competition on British soil will continue to inspire the next generation to get involved in sport with events such as the Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup and IAAF World Athletics Championships among the mega-events to come after London 2012.

The legacy program also includes: Sport England’s $213 million Places People Play legacy initiative to upgrade facilities and increase opportunities for people to get involved in sport; the Mayor of London’s Sports Legacy program; LOCOG's "Get Set" schools project; and International Inspiration, its overseas program benefiting the lives of millions of children in 20 countries around the world.

Under the Mayor’s Sports Legacy Program in London, around $63 million has already been invested in grassroots sport helping to build or refurbish more than 60 sports facilities, fund more than 10,000 people to train as sports coaches and officials and support large-scale participation projects

Mayor Boris Johnson said: "If the extraordinary success of our sports program in the capital is anything to go by, I am absolutely confident that London 2012 will leave a lasting legacy right across this great country and that the overwhelming enthusiasm of Londoners to get out of their homes and get active will be replicated in towns and cities from Lands End to John O'Groats."

Reported by Mark Bisson

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