Circumventing Olympic traffic disruption

EKE_38BPM

Some on here are wary of the traffic situation during the Olympics, so this website may help.
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/trave ... anges.html

If it doesn't, don't blame me, London will probably be gridlocked so go the shortest route you can.

Edit: Thread title changed as there hasn't been chaos.

SimonAH

I am not expecting too much Olympic congestion on my rout from Croesyceilliog to Llantarnam Park. Which is good TBH because your website is no bloody use for my area at all Eke. :roll:

jonny_trousers

I'm looking forward to laughing my arse off as I cruise past lines of traffic and watch commuters drag themselves out of sweltering tube stations like the last survivors in a disaster movie.

EKE_38BPM

SimonAH wrote:

I am not expecting too much Olympic congestion on my rout from Croesyceilliog to Llantarnam Park. Which is good TBH because your website is no bloody use for my area at all Eke. :roll:

You might not be expecting it, but can you be sure it won't affect you? It'll be chaos, man. CHAOS!

Gizmo_

I've ridden in and back twice this week, as I live one side of the main site and work in the City...

By the time the Games comes I reckon 5 days/week will be perfectly doable.

dhope

An Airzound might be entirely justified.

mybreakfastconsisted

It's going to be pretty bad, South Hackney will pretty much be shut down.

mybreakfastconsisted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16583939

snooks

If there is no cars in the Olympic lanes they are mine for the taking*

*Not talking about taking the primary, but if they think I'm crawling up a gutter when there is a whole lane on the right which is empty and usable, they are very much mistaken....and they would have to catch me

Headhuunter

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Some on here are wary of the traffic situation during the Olympics, so this website may help.
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/trave ... anges.html

If it doesn't, don't blame me, London will probably be gridlocked so go the shortest route you can.

Doesn't seem to affect my route at all...

rml380z

I'm looking forward to the chaos. It'll give me a chance to test my plan for the coming zombie apocalypse.

flimflam_machine

Is it worth starting a thread for people to share routes/shortcuts/diversions that they've found to get round the various closures? For example, the getaheadofthegames map seems to suggest that you can no longer cross Park Lane from Hyde Park into Upper Brook Street, which might make life really awkward. Any suggestions?

bigmat

I honestly don't think it'll be that bad. I reckon they have exaggerated the potential congestion to make themselves look good when its all OK. Not worried in the slightest, will just keep commuting as normal!

Tricycleboy

BigMat wrote:

I honestly don't think it'll be that bad. I reckon they have exaggerated the potential congestion to make themselves look good when its all OK. Not worried in the slightest, will just keep commuting as normal!

I quite agree. I think the only real problem will be from the total nodderpocalypse that TfL et al will have stirred up saying its going to be awful when its clearly not. Something tells me my train is going to be empty because everyone will be wobbling on their hybrid down the embankment unneccesarily.

I might start driving to work- that'll show the buggers.

Paul E

Lower thames street heading through to blackfriars was gridlocked and the lane isn't even closed yet, it stretched all the way to tower bridge and the have removed the mandatory cycle lane on the way up tower hill, great so the only option as all the cars/lorries etc etc were right up against the kerb was to go along the centre line on the lovely wide white line.

Gizmo_

CHAOS!

EVERYBODY PANIC!

Or, y'know, don't.

By the way: avoid the "Olympic" BMW 5- and 3-serieses. So far, they seem to be driven by Addison Lee's outcasts.

Paul E

Gizmo_ wrote:

CHAOS!

EVERYBODY PANIC!

Or, y'know, don't.

By the way: avoid the "Olympic" BMW 5- and 3-serieses. So far, they seem to be driven by Addison Lee's outcasts.

One almost hit my back wheel from the side on northumberland ave last week, yep same standard of driving, atrocious.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Lots of junctions closed (physically) and turnings blocked all of a sudden.

I find it pretty exciting. Feels like it's really here at last.

TheEnglishman

CS8 around Clapham is going to be horrible as the Olympic lane is on the outside so you can't cycle in it. So the bus/cycling lane will be full, so I guess it's on the pavements?

And around Earls Court on the A4 they're putting together the mother of all lego sets - more confusion methinks.

So just as everyone gets used to all the changes it's going to be back to normal.

Bonkers!


I'd put a £5 note on the fact if they'd left everything as it was the Olympic traffic would have flowed just as fast

Initialised

For the Tyne and Wearers it looks like it'll be no worse than a match day. But they are going to close or partially close the roads labelled in pink:



More info here: http://www.northeastfor2012games.com/visitors/transport

and here: http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/trave ... astle.html

Initialised

For the Tyne and Wearers it looks like it'll be no worse than a match day. But they are going to close or partially close the roads labelled in pink:



More info here: http://www.northeastfor2012games.com/visitors/transport

and here: http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/trave ... astle.html

rick_chasey

Lanes open tomorrow.

rubertoe

Rick Chasey wrote:

Lanes open tomorrow.

Its already Chaos around Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and Whitehall

rick_chasey

rubertoe wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Lanes open tomorrow.

Its already Chaos around Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and Whitehall

Yup.

We'll see eh?

Vicky embankment is super quiet.

I'm getting off and walking when I next get to parliament square heading West to East.

gabriel959

Cambridge is fine btw.

rjsterry

Rick Chasey wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Lanes open tomorrow.

Its already Chaos around Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and Whitehall

Yup.

We'll see eh?

Vicky embankment is super quiet.

I'm getting off and walking when I next get to parliament square heading West to East.

Have to say that PS (at just after 9) was busy, but no busier than a normal busy day. Just a matter of getting used to it.

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Lanes open tomorrow.

Its already Chaos around Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and Whitehall

Yup.

We'll see eh?

Vicky embankment is super quiet.

I'm getting off and walking when I next get to parliament square heading West to East.

Have to say that PS (at just after 9) was busy, but no busier than a normal busy day. Just a matter of getting used to it.

Was utter carnage at 8. Never seen it like it.

Probably took me around 6-7 minutes to get around.

Wrath Rob

Looks like I'll be OK until Millbank, I think I'll tough that section out before heading over Lambeth Bridge, round the back of Waterloo, back over Southwark Bridge and into the City. Not the most fun route but it will be (probably) safer than stop-starting through P'Square and then along the whole of Embankment. Plus I'll get to see how bad it is and then if its actually quiet, I can stick with the SCR.

DonDaddyD

I'm going to have to apologise to Stone (or is it 'The Stone' anyway he is a member here, same avatar as Big Mat).

He said that it wasn't going to be any busier during the Olympics and my conclusion on riding to, through and from Stratford (the main bit) in both directions is that it really isn't. I even got a train going through Stratford (both directions) and I'd argue that there were less people on the train than there has ever been. It was actually pleasent.

HOWEVER, avoiding the Olympics is a traffic filled nightmare. I drove to work; my route is to head onto the M25 and drive anticlockwise to Dartford Crossing. Head towards Essex and take the A12 or A13 to Goodmayes/Ilford. In the morning this is mostly a flowing 1hr 30min - 2hr journey. Last week and this week I didn't see work for 4 hours - when there is traffic there is more chance of accidents/cars overheating etc which just exasperate things. Had I not been needed at work I would have turned round and given up.

South West London heading toward the M4 is the same thing. Now this area usually has a high density of traffic but recently it has reached impossible levels of ridiculous.

So I conclude that the Olympics hasn't made things any busier, avoiding the Olympics has.

The thread may now resume.

pangolin

Rick Chasey wrote:

Was utter carnage at 8. Never seen it like it.

Probably took me around 6-7 minutes to get around.

Doesn't help that the Mall has been shut for ages, so you can't keep going up Kings Road and avoid it that way.

rjsterry

DDD touches on something I worried about and looks like it may be happening: everyone gets scared off the ORN, so the alternative routes (which were generally already pretty busy) become overloaded, while the ORN is eerily quiet.

Millbank looks to be the most dodgy bit of the traditional SCR route: the non ORN lane isn't quite wide enough for a car to safely pass a cyclist without crossing the solid white line. I predict a lot of too-close overtakes by grumpy drivers.

Interesting that the traffic around PS is so time specific.