To think the Olympics will totally fuck transport in London?

[coraltoes]

Right, I've read about the Olympic super fast route for the committee members and athletes. I've read about ambulances not being allowed on them unless blue lighting (not all urgent ambulance trips are blue light emergencies), about transplant organs being transported at night to avoid the route and congestion, and about delays at major tube stations being predicted to be approx 30 minutes.

Wat the fuck is all that about?! Did tfl not know this was coming our way?? Did they really think, oh 2012, by then we will all be flying about with pissing rocket packs?!

I cannot believe it may add an extra hour to my daily commute.

To top it off I have heard canary wharf are asking firms to reduce workforce by up to 30% during the games to ease congestion on the dlr and tube!! So companies are expected to reduce productivity so boris and Seb Coe can have their wet pant moment as the world hails London as an Olympic dream? Ugh.

Not to mention how farcical and discriminatory the ticketing system was. Oh yes, if you are well off and can risk bidding for £5k of tickets that's great. If you can only afford to risk winning £100 worth well you've a far lower chance of making it to the games mate. Welcome to the London Olympics.

This is the first time the Games have been held in a city centre. Barcelona, Athens etc had their major stadiums on the outskirts. That's the major concern difference.

Wembley events cause utter chaos. Have you ever seen the queues to get into the station? And that's maybe once a week at the weekend. The Olympic Park will be in constant use and rush hour's a nightmare at the best of times.

The only access road to where I live will be closed during the entire Olympic period and annual leave isn't an option for DH and I. YANBU it's going to be awful.

That was it - they must have drivers and the drivers must wear a hat.
It's worse than a rock star's dressing room rider. Who do they think they are?

I don't want to take time off during the fucking Olympics! If I take time off and stay at home, I want to be able to enjoy being at home and visiting the museums and parks, not be in a position where I can't go anywhere because all the roads and public transport are full of people trying to get to events. And I don't want to go away during the school holidays because the first two weeks in August are phenomenally expensive and not actually that good a time to visit most places. I am so angry about them effectively closing down the entire city for a giant Sports Day.

Sorry, didn't refresh the page - I was responding to LAlady.

YABU since your question implies that London transport was not fucked prior to the Olympics.

FUBAR on the other hand sounds about right

Good point, thirdfromleft, but I normally cycle to work so I'm the smug annoying person who doesn't normally suffer from transport problems. Not this time - I think it's actually going to be literally impossible for me to get to work on my bike because of the road closures in central London.

Which is exactly why I started "with not ideal for everyone" but I am showing empathy!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, LAlady, I overreacted! I'm hyperventilating with fury about these stupid things. But seriously, how can anyone who doesn't work in the City afford to go away for the first two weeks in August?

i work for a delivery company and we have been advised that due to road closures only time that deliverys can be made are midnight to 6am

im so glad i dont work or live in london, i think i'd fuck off on holiday for the month

I work at Canary Wharf and it will be a nightmare! I work evenings, and am expecting to have to change my hours to later at night. Currently 5-11pm, will be working 8pm-2am. The day staff are changing hours too, some starting at 7am instead of 9, the others starting at 11 and working through to 7 or 8pm. Coupled with the fact that I live in Kent and drive to work, usually through Blackwall Tunnel - its going to be great fun!!

I hadn't realised the enormity of it all until we had a meeting the other week and then I just wished I hadn't asked!! They showed us a picture from the Beijing Olympics, which was basically a queue to the public transport, and we were asked how long we thought it took Joe Bloggs to get onto a train from the back of the queue. We all said a couple of hours - we were told it took 12 hours!!!!

We had a day last week where all the attorneys worked from home as a trial.

I agree it's a nightmare and I do feel for London workers. We live fairly close to Dorney Lake where the rowing will take place. The new police station that's been built near it has caused fun and games already so I'll have to avoid that route (which is a complete pain) during the time the rowing is on. Not quite the same as a daily commute into London (which I again empathise with as I used to do that too).

My office is on the south side of Tower Bridge. We are making contingeny plans on who can get to work and who won't be able to. From what I understand the plan is to treat the Olympics as if it is a major business interruption event and see how we manage our office off site. The same sort of thing we'd have to do if our office was bombed!

The only tickets we got for the Olympics (you name it we applied for it) was for the rowing and we live close enough to cycle!

Not so easy chipsandpeas as they still haven't told us which roads we'll be able to use to fuck off on holiday for the month! As I explained to the lovely lady who I spoke to about this, March is too late for booking a lot of UK breaks as they're booked up by even now ffs. Plus not having the cash for a month long break is a bit of an issue.

Perhaps the Trotwoods could come and stay with you for the duration? We've only two kids and a big friendly dog. DH does have very smelly feet though.

I hate it. I should be back at work by August and am totally hating the prospect of having to get the tube for at least an hour each way. I will add that I am taking dc camping in Devon with my Scouts for the first week in August (not trying to get as far away from London as possible at all )

Is Stratford the centre of London? I don't know if I'd call it the city centre. I can't remember Barcelona so well, but the Athens Olympic stadium wasn't that far from the city centre.

YABU.... You're moaning about a bit of traffic for two weeks in summer when London's roads and offices are already deserted because so many people are away on holiday?

It is going to be chaos because traffic in London is already chaos, and the narrow roads bursting at the seams!

No.

Cogito try a trip on the Jubilee Line in the middle of the summer holidays and come back and tell me how it is. For me I find I only have to let three trains go past before I can get on one rather than the usual five. With the Olympics the numbers will be higher than usual commuting even allowing for those taking their holidays.

I mean, to OP, no. I should have typed YANBU, shouldn't I!

Stratford is about 2 mins by train from Liverpool Street Station. I think of that as City.

YABU, do you travel in rush hour? Or when the cable thieves have been out? Or when there's a fatality on the line? Or a signal failure?

TfL is already fucked, the Olympics give us a chance to show the world

YANBU.