Share

Anger at Olympic VIP lanes

London - Sabir Karim, a lifelong Londoner, was alarmed to find this week that a familiar city road had suddenly turned into an impossible challenge.

Officials had redrawn its lanes, leaving him only two options: The bus lane on the left, or the new Olympic "Games Lane", restricted for the sole use of officials and athletes, on the right.

The restaurant owner didn't know what to do, but he knew that fines awaited him if he drove in either lane.

"I was literally trapped," he said. "I panicked. It was a scary and horrendous experience."

Bafflement and long waits reigned on London's roads this week as drivers struggled to comprehend the new lane changes, diversions, banned turns and parking restrictions for the Olympics, which officially open on Friday.

As host city, London is as cosmopolitan as they come, but transport is its weak spot: Traffic often clogs up its narrow, historic roads, bus schedules can change at a moment's notice, and the subway (the famous Underground) suffers from daily delays and century-old infrastructure.

Deeply unpopular

The road changes, which come into full force on Wednesday morning, are causing additional pain.

"Drivers do have somewhere to go, but it's been a bit confusing," said Paul Watters, head of road policy at the British Automobile Association. "We know it's going to be tricky and difficult, and it's bound to be full of teething problems. We're almost there now so hopefully it will be better."

Even if it all goes smoothly — a big if — the 48km of Olympics-only road lanes are likely to remain deeply unpopular among Britons.

Critics argue that these lanes — open only to Olympic athletes, officials, journalists, emergency services and games marketing partners — are elitist and make life difficult for everyone else.

Driving on the lanes, widely dubbed "Zil lanes" after the Russian limos granted exclusive use of special lanes on Soviet-era highways, can cost you a fine of up to £130.

Britain relies on traffic cameras to spot infractions, so many people won't know they've been ticketed till the bad news arrives in the mail.

Cabbie protests

The International Olympic Committee had specifically demanded the lanes be created after learning lessons from previous games — one of the worst being Atlanta in 1996, now remembered as the one where bus drivers got lost and some athletes arrived moments before their events.

In London, some of the loudest opposition to the Olympic VIP lanes has come from the city's cabbies, who have staged two demonstrations in the past two weeks that brought central London traffic to a standstill.

Like the rest of the public, they're banned from the Olympic lanes, which they say jeopardises their business by creating much longer — and costlier — cab rides for customers.

"We're not going to be able to drop passengers where they want to go," said Lee Osborne of the United Cabbies Group, which protested with about 50 cabs at Tower Bridge on Tuesday. "Traffic in London is pretty bad as it is, and now passengers are going to suffer with the meter just ticking away."

Even on a normal day, driving in London is rarely a smooth experience. For a city of its size, it has surprisingly few highways or wide thoroughfares, which means that most roads have multiple traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

Olympics organisers have repeatedly urged people to avoid driving their cars, to walk and bike ride around, and for spectators to go to events using public transport.

15 million trips a day

That's easier said than done. London's Tube network is the most popular way to get across town, but it groans with age — its first line, the Metropolitan line, first opened in 1863.

Today, that line still runs alongside more than a dozen others in a half-modernised system that handles roughly 12 million trips a day.

Officials are expecting up to 15 million subway trips a day during the Olympics.

The British government has injected £6.5bn to upgrade the network ahead of the Olympics, but it's still riddled with daily problems.

On Tuesday, extensive delays hit the key Javelin high-speed train from central London to the Olympic Park, and on Monday, multiple key lines leading to the park broke down during the morning rush hour.

"It can't even cope in normal times, all it takes is one problem and the whole system gets paralysed," said Tony Shelton, an accountant who was riding the Northern line. His journey was only slightly delayed but he said: "I'll probably avoid coming into town."

Not everyone is so downbeat. Many others are proudly standing by their Tube and their city.

"It was absolutely fine today. I'm sure it will be all right," said Amelia Alvares, a marketing manager. "It's not perfect, but it will work."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE