Proposals have been announced for the traffic arrangements for the Olympic games - See http://bit.ly/yY9S . If these proposals for an Olympic Route Network are adopted, Westcombe Park will be entirely surrounded by either Core or Alternative routes.
Core Routes are defined as
“the main roads between accommodation, the Olympic Park and other main venues which will be heavily used by Games traffic throughout the Games period“
Alternative routes are roads
“included as a contingency against disruption on one of the core or venue specific routes and only used if needed”.
The map (click on it to enlarge) shows that it is proposed that the A2 should be designated an Alternative route (grey on the map). All the other roads, such as Maze Hill and Park Vista that are shown red on the map are proposed to be Core Olympic Routes
The Games – The Challenge
The Games are huge in scale – the equivalent of 26 World Championships and 20 times the size of the Football World Cup. 15,000 athletes from over 200 countries take part. Hosting the Games has been described as the largest logistical challenge a country can undertake in peace time. On each of the 16 days of the Olympic Games up to 500,000 spectators and 55,000 athletes, officials, media and sponsors will need transport; and 160,000 and 16,500 respectively on each of the 12 days of the Paralympic Games.
The proposed solution – The Olympic Route Network
Following the lessons and experience of previous host cities, London will have an Olympic Route Network ORN during the Games to transport the Games Family between venues and accommodation.
Under the powers provided in the 2006 London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, the Secretary of State will designate a temporary ORN linking together competition venues and key non-competition venues.
Designation of the ORN grants the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) ability to see what road works are planned for the network, and to keep the ORN free of non-emergency road and street works during the Games. Once the ORN is legally designated, the ODA also gains the ability to consult on and implement Traffic Regulation Orders on the ORN to manage traffic.
Many of the traffic management measures will be behind the scenes – such as improvements to traffic signals or CCTV. This is unlikely to have a noticeable impact on road users, but will also leave a positive legacy for smoothing traffic flows in London.
Between some key locations on the busiest sections of the ORN, where there is sufficient space, the traffic management measures may include special lanes where use is reserved for accredited Games vehicles. We expect that London will have a smaller length of Games Lanes compared to recent summer Games host cities. The vast majority of roads included in the ORN will be available for use by traffic as normal.
This consultation document sets out the proposed roads that may form the Olympic Route Network (ORN): a network of roads to be used by athletes and Games officials during the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (the Games). The stated purpose of the ORN is to enable safe, secure and efficient transportation of athletes and Games officials between venues and accommodation whilst at the same time minimising the impact on residents, businesses and visitors to ensure London is kept moving.
The detailed lists show that no less than 46 roads in Greenwich will be designated - more than in any other borough. As noted above, Westcombe Park will be intirely isolated, as happened with the recent mini-marathon, if these roads are all closed at the same time.
Consultation on the ORN is currently taking place and local residents are encouraged to make their views known. Responses in writing to this should be clearly marked 'ORN Consultation' and sent to DfT Olympic Route Network Consultation, Research Services House, Elmsgrove Road, Harrow HA1 2QG or emailed to ornconsultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk before 19th March 2009
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