How many workmen does it take to paint five Olympic rings on the road? And all just to tell us we can’t drive there...6 Y! U- q4 r: o/ r& |
- £130 fine for driving in Olympics lanes between July 27 and August 12
- Fast-track V.I.P lanes cover 30 miles of road in the capital
- The public faces gridlock as athletes and officials breeze round the city
- At least 100 workmen carry out painting across the capital before rush hour
By Rick Dewsbury
+ r5 U1 X! c3 H/ ]9 jTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。公仔箱論壇3 z# ]9 y) N& {' X& l" R0 P9 w
They came in the the night... and changed the face of the capital's road.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb2 g4 A) R6 e5 A; r/ {6 B4 G& ]
2 N$ y& o" i' ztvb now,tvbnow,bttvbThis is the army of workmen putting the final touches to London's streets for the Olympics as they paint fast-track lanes reserved for V.I.P.s.5.39.217.76% C6 I! W/ v4 n- p& [# e0 b
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Dozens of men in fluorescent jackets were dispatched along 30 miles of road around east and central London to daub the iconic rings and white lines on the tarmac.
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) ~. ~- F! I; }6 @$ u# L) {9 TTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。By the early morning rush the workers - believed to have numbered at least 100 - had disappeared.
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But in their wake they left fast-track lanes that ordinary drivers will be hit with £130 fines if they dare to venture in to.
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TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。# p7 g2 n& }8 O. e3 x$ W
Paint job: Workmen start marking Games lanes along the Olympic Route Network in central London last night. Members of public cannot drive in them from July 27 to August 125.39.217.76 Z6 U+ w- @& ?! z, [7 V
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As Londoners slept, workmen marked the 30 miles of tarmac which will be out of bounds to motorists between July 27 and August 12.
' ] m% {( b3 [) ]% E3 r1 C1 Rtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。! f5 C5 ^4 [. z
Although not operational until two days before the Olympics, the Games Lanes are shaping up to be one of the biggest irritants to those living in the capital.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。, ?) H' y9 I7 w5 _
; t0 Y1 q$ e3 g) e6 f8 b2 tUsed to crawling along the city's clogged narrow streets, motorists will now have the added insult of watching 80,000 athletes, officials, sponsors and media moving freely in chauffeur-driven vehicles on the specially designated lanes.
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The high-profile guests will travel glide through the busy streets using the Olympics Games Lanes. Adjustments to traffic lights will begin this week.公仔箱論壇7 r$ @7 ~. Q9 b: k
$ n+ p s/ a2 y! B h6 w8 O'I think it is unreasonable to expect London to have road closures and places closed off - people still have to get around,' said Steve Dixon, 45, a retailer from south London.公仔箱論壇, o! L7 L! V% F: \) K- X+ V9 e: o
& A- K& V1 @- n! i! W'I don't think London is being considered.'tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb9 r+ c' s/ \' X; k/ [2 X
The fight for space is likely to be so keen that some taxi drivers are threatening to leave their car keys at home and go away.
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'I think it's going to be a nightmare - I won't be able to get around, the roads will be blocked,' said taxi driver Scott Rawlings, 45, his black cab idling as he waited to pick up a customer in central London.公仔箱論壇/ W# `1 X' O6 t8 l" b/ `6 m
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Workmen peel off a stencil used to paint the markings and underneath the iconic rings are revealed : A9 [ E/ u. |- `1 d
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A hard nights work: Workmen peel off the last bits of white paint from the markings, and right, stand back to admire their work
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Sprint finish: The men pack up their tools as some members of the public look on at the lanes, which they will be fined £130 for driving in
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'People don't like sitting in the back of a cab when it's not moving.'TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。% j9 s1 P/ h, F
TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。$ [+ j- B$ @2 k) a" e
The Olympics Rings-marked lanes, which run alongside lanes for general traffic, will only come into operation on Wednesday July 25 - two days before the Olympic opening ceremony, with 'ordinary' drivers allowed to use them until then.5.39.217.76* n0 k* l, \4 i; K
- X" v6 A6 C k9 y- r# |9 CThe lanes have been dubbed 'ZiL lanes' after the Russian-built ZiL car that carried Soviet Union leaders around.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb- W9 x i/ r. } _# B0 M
" P: Q6 _6 o( A+ x% @2 @6 i2 s5.39.217.76There will be 30 miles of Games Lanes in London, with the lanes forming part of the 109-mile Olympic Route Network (ORN) which links Games venues.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb+ ?3 `5 f1 j! ^- X3 U
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- r* C5 C2 a5 J, R1 R. Y |* \tvb now,tvbnow,bttvbOLYMPIC ROUTE NETWORK: WHAT THE COLOURS MEAN
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+ W; m* c1 G7 [TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Yellow route: Roads on this route will have a dedicated 'Olympic-only' lane for athletes, officials, VIPs, sponsors and media. The lanes will be in force from 6am until midnight.
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% d" n4 I; p6 O: L/ d7 b5.39.217.76Red route: Roads on this route, the busiest "core section" of the VIP network, will be affected by major restrictions to speed up traffic but will be fully open to the public. Measures could include bans on parking and right-turns, suspension of pedestrian crossings, phasing of traffic lights and no public entry from side roads.
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7 o9 D C D( e" Z( {! }Blue route: Roads on this route will only be affected on competition days. They will run from the athletes' accommodation to venues such as Wembley Arena, Earls Court and Wimbledon.
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0 [1 l0 p" }& _/ U, L; t公仔箱論壇Variable message signs along the lanes will state that drivers will be able to use them until July 25, although Transport for London (TfL) is advising motorists to avoid central London around the ORN and Games venues from mid-July.8 s7 ^" z2 c9 w0 _, W9 k
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The exception to the free-to-use rule will be the Games Lane on the M4 near Heathrow which will start on Monday July 16 as the 'Games Family' - athletes, officials and the world's media - begin to arrive in big numbers.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。% Y M* g$ ]/ F" m' p5 O
/ k8 s5 O2 c" f7 `: j& C2 z: sBefore that there will be a reversal of traffic flow in the Kingsway Tunnel at Aldwych in London to assist traffic flows while on Friday July 20 further ORN work will be carried out, including the installation of barriers to simplify junctions.
0 I- y- `! \. V J' I d7 |TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。
& ?, h7 u$ V' j: [* x5 n3 V3 stvb now,tvbnow,bttvbWhen the ORN and Games Lanes come into full operation on July 25, they will be enforced from 6am to midnight daily.5.39.217.764 P# r9 j) D9 s7 P% g& H0 ]
2 Z6 E2 g& j4 R, o/ k" W2 S5.39.217.76Fast-track: A car zips along one of the lanes in front on the London eye. The roads will certainly not be this clear during the Games
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" m; }& s1 ~% y IV.I.P fast lanes: A car drives in an Olympics Games Lane on Upper Thames Street after workmen painted on the markings last night$ x: _. n( {% q7 Y2 F& p
6 e6 n, g# U, Y/ bTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Up to one million extra visitors are expected in London on each day of the Games and there will be up to 1,300 'Games Family' vehicles an hour travelling between key venues.; ?3 a# q$ R$ `+ w
0 K) m4 u9 ^3 @7 q2 w) _$ [) |5 rA penalty charge of £130 will be issued to owners of vehicles who break the regulations, including driving in Games Lanes or stopping along the route, and any illegally parked vehicle will be removed to a vehicle pound and may incur a release fee of £200.公仔箱論壇5 \) s; _3 H* L, F \: g
, U; q" k+ ^5 o$ p7 n1 |' ~1 y' f公仔箱論壇The Games Lanes will end around two days after the Olympics finishes on August 12 and will not be in operation between the Olympics and Paralympics.
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A smaller Paralympic Route Network will come into operation shortly before the Paralympics start on August 29.
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Having dedicated routes to events became an Olympic priority after difficulties in the 1996 Games led to the venue in Georgia, USA, being dubbed 'the lost city of Atlanta'.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb/ y" L4 C% O5 }8 d, ]+ r
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London Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'Following the unveiling of the Olympic Rings on Tower Bridge, the Rings on London's roads really bring home how London has begun its transformation into a massive sporting and cultural venue.
. |1 o! Y* p8 ]9 ?7 n, ZTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。
. B; y5 q: u3 g7 }' C- P4 v9 fTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。'The ORN is a requirement of all host cities and is vital in ensuring athletes, officials and the world's media get to their events on time.公仔箱論壇% a0 ~5 a% m4 @. m' P) d$ J, K+ u
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'My team slashed its length by one third of what had been planned and we're working hard to introduce changes to the road network as late as possible, to minimise the impact on Londoners and businesses.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。0 o/ y! G. M2 w0 F' p
' x4 h6 s5 R2 Z* x0 u'But with the Games less than one month away, we're into the home straight and are working flat out to ensure we are ready to welcome the world.'公仔箱論壇5 Y5 ^3 P: D% q/ A
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