London 2012 Launches Get Ahead Of The Games Website

The government has encouraged businesses and employees in the London to make alternative journey plans in an effort to avoid the anticipated congestion during the Olympic Games this summer.

Commuters will be able to use a new website which highlights potential congestion areas during the Olympics, while the government has launched a multimedia advertising campaign to raise awareness of potential problems.

Olympic gridlock

London’s transport network has been the subject of £6.5 billion worth of improvements ahead of the games as the capital plans to cope with the additional three million daily journeys expected during the Olympics, on top of the 25m already made each day.

Transport secretary Justine Greening said that businesses and staff should have more flexible working arrangements during the games and said that London 2012 and Transport for London (TfL) had been working with businesses to ensure they had contingency plans. She added that government staff would not be exempted and that her own department would be changing half of its transport plans.

Commuters will be given advice on how to change the time and route of their journeys, with half-hour delays possible at some of the busiest stations.

Transportation is but one of the issues that could affect businesses during the Olympics. Fears persist that the demand placed on mobile networks during the games will push the UK’s wireless infrastructure to its limits.

This has led to plans to create a free Wi-Fi network around London in an effort to cope with demand, while Ofcom has announced it is going to borrow spectrum from the military. There is also concern that the risk of a cyber attack during the games is high and London will be reportedly be protected by ‘unprecedented levels’ of cyber security.

However more provisions may be needed to prevent militant Morris dancers from turning to technology to protest against their possible exclusion from the opening ceremony.