23 February 2007
The Olympic Development Agency this week found itself on the receiving end of some peculiarly apposite historical advice: don't wait for China to deliver your great leap forward.
The warning came from the Commons' transport select committee, which is unhappy about the ODA's lack of progress on the transport plan and infrastructure that will support the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
MPs on the committee are concerned that the ODA could wait until after China hosts the 2008 Olympics in Beijing before fleshing out its important transport contingency plan. This will outline how London will deal with security threats, serious transport failures or other emergencies during the event. A draft plan last year provided the ODA with the opportunity to take a 'great leap forward,' the committee said, but progress since has been slow. Up to £17bn could be invested in London's transport network in advance of the Olympics.
The committee, chaired by Labour's Gwyneth Dunwoody, published a report on February 20 arguing that the ODA was behind schedule with its contingency planning and should begin the delivery phase as soon as possible. They are concerned that contingencies will not be finalised until the infrastructure is in place. Police chiefs and ministers have acknowledged the need for a flexible contingency plan in light of increased terrorist threats, for example.
'The Authority intends to revise the [transport] plan further in 2009, in light of experiences at the Beijing Games…with the final version emerging in 2010 or 2011.
'We are concerned to see that the plans for delivery across most of the modes [of transport] remain vague, and the ODA is not exhibiting any sense of urgency,' the committee's report states.
The MPs also expressed concerns that the ODA could rely too heavily on the rail network to transport athletes, staff and spectators. They also warned that the authority has used 'highly speculative' assumptions about reduced traffic congestion during the games – planners believe around 8% of the capital's cars will leave the roads – while there is little information about plans to use London's waterways.
ODA transport director Hugh Sumner countered: 'We remain confident in our preparations. To have our transport plan ready six years before the Games is unprecedented and we have hit every one of our milestones to date. We are not complacent, of course there will be challenges ahead, but we have no doubt we will deliver a world class transport system.'
PFfeb2007
