Graham Morrison - our Olympics correspondent
It is less than three months to go until the world’s biggest sporting event comes to London. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will catapult the capital into the centre of the sporting universe with billions of people from across the globe tuning in to watch the action. For Londoners, the Games provide a once in a life-time opportunity to witness a worldwide event unfold on their doorstep.
Inevitably this will all mean some inconvenience and the council is particularly concerned about transport issues caused by road and lane closures. Rest assured that we are pushing the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and Transport for London (TfL) to make sure they minimise the disruption they cause.
Finally, make sure that you remember to keep up to date with all the Hammersmith & Fulham Olympic activity by visiting this page and http://twitter.com/LBHF (opens new window).
Cllr Greg Smith
Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services
Be part of the Games
If you were not lucky enough to secure tickets to any of the Olympic Events there are lots of ways you can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
We are hosting one of the few free Olympic events with the cycling road races passing through the borough on the first weekend of the Games. And two days before this on Thursday 26th July the torch relay will complete its 70 day journey around the UK passing through the borough, full details of the route and where to watch the torch pass will be published here soon.
We shall also be publishing details of our local live sites where you can watch the Games on big screens.
Community Celebration Packs
London 2012 has produced a Community Celebration Pack, ideal for adding that extra bit of excitement to whatever activity your community group is planning for Games time. The pack contains a range of official London 2012 goodies including 50 hand flags, bunting, a large flag and flagpole and a horizontal banner. Packs of 100 hand flags are also available for sale separately.
You can purchase a pack for just £99 plus delivery. If you order nine packs, you’ll get a tenth absolutely free!
Orders can be placed until Friday 15 June. Please read the Community Celebration Pack considerations on the website before you purchase.
For further details and to order now, go to www.gameslookbook.com/community
Cultural Olympiad and local legacy
The 2012 Games are more than just sport. The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movement.
We shall be publishing details of our local cultural events here as well as details of our local sporting and active travel legacy projects.
Cycling Road race – 28 and 29 July 2012
The Olympic Mens and Womens Cycling Road Race passes through the borough on the first weekend of the Games, 28 and 29 July 2012 both outbound and inbound, along Fulham Road, Fulham High Street and Putney Bridge, along the same route as the Olympic trial event, the London-Surrey Cycle classic which was held on Sunday 14th August 2011.
- The road race will follow the same route as last summer’s London to Surrey Cycle Classic.
- The men's race will take place on the Saturday 28 July, 2012 and last for approximately six hours, with 145 riders competing over the 155 mile course.
- The women will compete on Sunday 29 July, with 67 riders racing 87 miles over three and a half hours.
- It will start on the Mall in central London and travel through Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, before the competitors ride down Fulham Road and Fulham High Street and cross over Putney Bridge.
- The cyclists will then tour Wandsworth, Richmond upon Thames, and Kingston upon Thames – before heading into Surrey and then returning to central London, via Fulham, for the finish.
- All route roads will be closed throughout the day of the race and safety barriers will be erected on both sides of the road throughout the entire length of the route, in central London.
Much was learnt from the trial event including the level of likley disruption to car trips around Fulham and South-West London.
The organisers (LOCOG) and Transport for London (TfL) will be starting their engagement campaign in March detailing the route of the race, the likley closure timings, bus diversions, interactions with the traffic management for Earls Court and the Olympic Ropute Network (ORN) and arrangements for barrirers and viewing.
All locally delivered leaflets will be published on this page alongside further advice for residents and businesses.
Read more about the event on the london 2012 website (opens new window)
News stories from trial event London-Surrey Cycle Classic
Road cycle race disruption in Fulham - Sunday, August 14 (June 23, 2011)
Plan for disruption on August 14 (June 8, 2011)
Cycling event will lead to transport meltdown news story (May 12, 2011)
Olympic cycling comes to Fulham news story (February 16, 2010)
Volleyball – 28 July to 12 August 2012
The Olympic volleyball tournament will be taking place at Earls Court from Saturday 28 July – Sunday 12 August, the entire duration of the Games. There will be three sessions of volleyball on most days, with up to 40,000 spectators enjoying the action each day.
To accommodate the half a million spectators, The organisers, LOCOG, are consulting on a local area traffic management and parking plan (LATMP) which will include road closures, temporary one way systems and parking suspensions. The most challenging of these is the closure of Lillie Road/Old Brompton Road. The consultation finishes on 3 March and the council urge local residents and businesses to review the details of the LATMP and attend one of the drop in sessions below.
This will clearly have huge implications for the borough’s road network and the council is working closely with TfL and LOCOG to mitigate any adverse impact on local residents and businesses.
The council is particularly concerned that the combination of the Earls Court measures, the ORN and the closures in Fulham required for the cycling road race could result in traffic chaos in the borough.
Read more about the event on the London 2012 website (opens new window)
Read more about the venue on the London 2012 website (opens new window)
Olympic Torch Relay – 26 July 2012
The Olympic Torch will tour the UK for 70 days starting in lands End on 19 May and ending on 27 July when it travels down the Thames to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. The london leg of the relay starts on 21 July and will visit every London Borough. The relay will be in Hammersmith & Fulham on the afternoon of 26 July with the final route and torch bearers being announced shortly.
Read more about the torch relay on the London 2012 website (opens new window)
Olympic Route Network – ORN
Some of the busiest roads in the borough are set to be included in a network of routes that will be used to transport athletes and officials to and from venues during next year’s Olympics. The council is continuing to work with TfL to ensure they do all they can to minimise the disruption this will cause.
The highlights in the borough are as follows;
- The creation of special ‘Games Lanes’ on parts of the A40 (Westway/ A40 corridor intersection with Old Oak Common, operating from 6am to midnight). This could mean that general traffic may experience queuing delays.
- A similar lane on parts of the A4 (proposed from 6am – 8pm west of Earls Court: 6am till midnight east of Earls Court).
- Banned right turn into Old Oak Road off the A40 , except local buses.
- Banned right turn into Netheravon Road south off the A4.
The changes will come into effect two days before the Games which commence on July 27, 2012 and the A40 measures finishing on 12 August 2012 and the A4 measures finishing at the conclusion of the Paralympics on September 9.
Travel advice for residents
Residents are being urged to ‘Get Ahead of the Games’ and ensure the borough keeps moving during this summer’s London Olympics.
The 2012 Olympic Games are set to catapult the capital to the centre of the sporting universe but it is expected that there will be some disruption to the borough’s transport networks.
Olympic bosses LOCOG have now launched their ‘Get Ahead of the Games’ campaign which explains how, at certain times and in certain locations – parts of the capital’s road and rail networks will be much busier than usual.
By visiting http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/ (opens new window) or following the @GAOTG Twitter channel (opens new window), people can receive the latest tips, travel information and advice on how to plan ahead and avoid the travel hotspots.
Travel advice for businesses
There will be a number of very busy areas, junctions and routes across London during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, known as ‘travel hotspots’. In particular, these will include areas around major interchange stations. The area around Earls Court has been designated a travel hotspot and Olympic bosses have written a factsheet that is aimed for businesses in the Earls Court area.
