08 August 2003
Mayor Ken Livingstone has unveiled London's secret weapon in its master plan to secure the 2012 Olympic Games: the capital's overcrowded buses.
Livingstone told a sceptical audience at a City Hall press conference on August 5 that London's much-maligned roads hold the key to ferrying around the millions of extra visitors that would be expected to flood into the capital's East End during the prestigious event.
While other bidding cities are developing state-of-the-art, high-speed transport links, it would appear that the strategists at City Hall believe the way to the International Olympic Committee's heart is via the number 30 to Hackney Wick – with a top speed of 30mph.
The IoC will make the final decision on which city will host the Games. London is competing with the likes of New York and Paris.
Livingstone's extraordinary claim followed his acknowledgement that the government is 'highly unlikely' to complete the multibillion-pound, high-speed Crossrail train link in time for 2012. Crossrail will eventually ferry millions of passengers across the capital and many analysts believe it is vital to any attempt to secure the Olympics.
Announcing the London Development Agency's 'master plan' to develop 1,500 acres in the lower Lea Valley district of London into an Olympic site with 'legacy facilities', Livingstone said the absence of Crossrail did not mean the plan was dead in the water.
But when pressed to explain how London would deal with the extra visitors, he could only say: 'We have seen a dramatic expansion of bus users recently.'
Critics said roads near the proposed site in the London Borough of Hackney are already gridlocked following the introduction of the congestion charge in central London, which has pushed traffic to the outer edges of the capital.
The proposed site is not yet served by a Tube line, while local rail links are unreliable.
One dubious London Assembly member told Public Finance: 'The master plan is going to have to be something more than mere glitz, pomp and ceremony. There is an astronomical amount of infrastructure needed.'
Meanwhile, the consortium chosen to lead London's bid – which is expected to cost taxpayers around £2bn – has been announced. It includes consultants EDAW and HOK Sport – firms heavily involved in the successful Sydney Olympics of 2000.
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