Traffic Transport and Road Safety Associates Ltd. (TTRSA)

When an Olympic Games hits town, it has become common practice for the host city to create 'Olympic Routes' designated lanes on major roads that can only be used by accredited Olympic vehicles, buses and emergency vehicles. Other drivers using the lanes in Vancouver are being fined $100CN and parked vehicles are being towed. Traffic and Transport Preparations are well underway for London 2012, but can we look to the current Vancouver Games to give us an idea of what is achievable and lessons that can be learnt?

Additional maps are available as part of the 2010 Winter Games Integrated Transportation Plan.

In the week leading up to the opening ceremony, organisers and city officials must have been crossing their fingers. With residents being urged to change their travel habits from commuting by car to mass transit, walking, cycling or working from home, regular vehicle traffic in the downtown area was only 11 percent below normal levels, compared to the estimated 30 percent redution required for the Games to run smoothly and the city to continue functioning.

The organisers and city officials need not have worried, at the start of the Games, the residents of Vancouver came through, levels of cycling and walking have been comparable to those usually seen in the warmer summer months, public transit ridership has surged and the 30 percent target was reached.

• on Friday 12th February, 12,000 people were recorded as walking over one of the False Creek bridges and 4,000 residents cycled to downtown;
• on Saturday 13th February, the Canada Line (SkyTrain linking downtown with Vancouver International Airport and Richmond) carried 210,000 passengers over twice the number to have used the line in a single day before; and,
• on Sunday 14th February, over 500,000 people travelled on the Expo and Millenium Sky Trains and 133,000 used the SeaBus from North Vancouver to Downtown.

So for early lessons to be learned for London 2012?

Carrying additional passengers on public transport services is only part of the equation.

• there have been 35-40 minute waits to board Canada Line trains;
• "crush conditions" have been described at the Waterfront Station (Downtown) SeaBus terminal with passengers having to wait 20 minutes to board services; and,
• the public bus system has been severly strained despite TransLink deploying all of the 160 buses that it was keeping in reserve to battle congestion;
• buses have been reported to be travelling past passengers waiting at stops;
• additional night services have needed to be provided on routes after the end of service on the SkyTrain; and,
• additional services have been needed from ferry terminals due to increases in foot passengers.

Getting spectators to venues has also been a logistical test. No spectator parking is available at the venues, spectators are being expected to arrive by bus.

It is understood from media reports that:

• the fleet of 100 buses ferrying specatators to the Cypress Mountain venue has been changed after a number of breakdowns;
• the regular transit systems doesn't start early enough for spectators to get to the olympic bus hubs;
• there is insufficent capacity to deal with periods of peak demand at the end of events;
• the elderly may be experiencing particular difficulty with the volume of passengers on the public transport system; and,
• the presence of 'Olympic Routes' may be encouraging accreditied vehicles to exceed posted speed limits, the Downtown Eastside Pedestrian Safety Project raising road safety concerns.

All factors that the organisers of London 2012 should learn from Vancouver.

For those lucky enough to be attending the Vancouver Games, a dedicated website TravelSmart 2010 is available to provide realtime and trip planning advice.

18 February 2010