News

With the approach of the Olympic Games, announcements have been made about road closures which may affect your business.

Please find below the main points of the road closure programme:

The Olympic and Paralympic Route Network

During the 2012 Games, Transport for London (TfL) will be putting in place the Olympic Route Network and Paralympic Route Network (ORN/PRN).

What is the ORN/PRN?

The ORN is a 109-mile network of roads linking Games and accommodation venues. It is vital to ensure all athletes, officials and the world’s media get to their events on time and keep London moving. Thirty miles of the ORN include Games Lanes (available only to vehicles carrying the ‘Games Family’ – the athletes, officials, media and some sponsors).

When will the ORN/PRN operate?

The ORN and Games Lanes will begin operating on Wednesday 25 July, and will end on Tuesday 14 August. They will not be in force between the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The smaller PRN will also begin operating two days before the Paralympic Games on Monday 27 August and will end on Tuesday 11 September.

Once events are completed at a particular venue, such as Wimbledon, the ORN will be removed.

Creating the ORN/PRN

A programme of temporary road changes needs to take place ahead of the creation of the ORN/PRN. This will include installing temporary traffic islands and barriers to simplify junctions and changing around 1,300 sets of traffic signals to prepare for the expected increase in traffic.

To keep any impact to a minimum, work is being carried out over a four-day period beginning on Friday 20 July and finishing on Tuesday 24 July. Most of the works will take place overnight but, depending on weather conditions and restrictions in certain areas, some daytime working may be required.

Creating Games Lanes

From Sunday 1 July, road markings will be put down along the ORN to create the Games Lanes. This work is weather dependent so it is not possible to specify the exact dates but works will take place overnight between 21:00 and 06:00. The

Games Lanes will not be operational and enforced until Wednesday 25 July, so they can be used until this date. During the Games, vehicles that drive in the Games Lanes, load, park or stop illegally on the ORN/PRN will be removed and will face a £130 Penalty Charge Notice.

It will take between 10 and 14 days to create all the Games Lanes. There will be advanced warning signs along the route advising which dates the works will take place.

Other key road changes

From Saturday 7 July: Traffic direction through the Kingsway Tunnel (Aldwych) will be temporarily reversed to flow southbound only. This will be vital for assisting movement to and from the Media Hub in Bloomsbury. The road will return to normal in mid-August after the Olympic Games, and the change is not required for the Paralympic Games.

From Monday 16 July: The M4 Games Lane will come into operation owing to the arrival of the Games Family which include athletes, officials and the world’s media.

From Tuesday 24 July: The designated pedestrian crossings and parking/loading bays along the ORN will be suspended and blocked off overnight.

TfL will remove each section of the ORN after it is no longer required. These works will take place over a number of nights.

It will be necessary to re-instate some of the network for the Paralympic Games and works will take place overnight from 24 August to 26 August. The PRN will be fully operational and enforced from 06:00 on 27 August.

There will be additional changes to roads and local parking around Olympic venues. These are being put in place by the organisers of London 2012 to ensure that resident and business parking is protected and the venues can operate safely. Full details of changes and timings can be found at london2012.com/local-residents.

Advice for road users

During the implementation programme, roads will remain open but there may be rolling lane closures and local diversions, which will be clearly signposted.

Local access to properties will be maintained but please do not park along the ORN/PRN as cars may be removed. If possible, do not travel on the route while the work is taking place. This will help you avoid delays.