- Capital Legacy
- Young People
- Transport and Travel during the Games
Minutes:
Paul Cowell, Events, Film and 2012 Manager, and Jonathon Toy, Head of Community Safety and Enforcement, outlined some of the projects and opportunities around the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics (the Games).
The Olympic torch would land in the UK on 18 May, followed by a 70 day tour around the country. It would arrive in London on 21 July and pass through Southwark on 26 July.
- The Olympic opening ceremony would take place on 27 July 2012.
- The Paralympic opening ceremony would take place on 29 August 2012.
During the Games an extra 4 million visitors were expected, taking 20 million extra journeys. The majority of the trips would be made by train (over ground and underground).
The Games were being promoted as a public transport event and people were encouraged to use the network facilities. At the busiest stations such as Canada Water or London Bridge a delay of 30minutes was anticipated on top of normal journey times. Transport for London (TfL) and partners were working towards reducing demand pressures as much as possible.
There will be maps of alternative routes and ambassadors to assist travellers.
A special group had been set up to engage young people in the Olympics through five elements: schools / sport / culture / volunteering / communications.
Since September 2011, the group had been working with teachers on curriculum elements related to the Games and 96% of schools had signed up to the Get Set Network which was an Olympic educational programme with access to event tickets (2,500). Over the past year there had been mini-Olympic events involving local schools.
There would be a series of cultural events over the summer including dance, theatre, a library readathon and computer games challenges.
There was also a capital legacy fund of £2million. 40 submissions were made and 10 projects were agreed which were now being implemented. The first was a new disability pool hoist at the Peckham Pulse, others include a new BMX track in Burgess Park. The projects were aimed at increasing participation in sport and healthy activities.
In response to questions, Jonathan Toy said some of the road signage and road access points may change during the Games. There were no plans to alter bus lanes during the Games at this stage. Existing businesses were being asked to allow visitors to use their toilet facilities during the Games.
See www.getaheadofthegames.com for further information.