Lincolnshire2012

Flagging down a black cab on London's streets may prove a little harder during this year's 2012 Olympics after taxi drivers had a request to raise their fares by 22 per cent turned down.

Drivers are threatening to stay at home or go away during the Games in July and August fearful the city's narrow roads will become log-jammed.

Cabbies, known for their strong opinions and jovial banter, are also angry they will be barred from using the 50 kilometres of Games Lanes specially designated to ferry athletes, officials, the media and VIPs to venues on time.

The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association union said between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of its members did not intend to work during this period.

"There is a very real risk that there is going to be a shortage of cabs during the Olympics," Steve McNamara, LTDA general secretary, said. "Just give us access to the lanes. It's easy."

London's narrow roads get notoriously congested, and transport has been a major concern of the International Olympic Committee.

The LTDA, which represents up to 10,000 of the capital's 25,000 black cabs, proposed allowing drivers to use weekend and night-time premium rates during the 2012 Olympics, to entice some back onto the roads.

That would have increased fares by between 13 per cent and 22 per cent.

But Transport for London, which argues "the vast majority" of drivers are against such a rise, turned down the suggestion.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson had previously described the proposal as a "major own goal" for taxi drivers.

Cabbies will be able to raise their fares by an above inflation 5.3 per cent for the coming year though, reflecting the jump in costs for fuel and insurance, TfL said.

Source
Reuters

Schools in London have been told how many free tickets for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games they are to receive.

In total pupils are eligible for 125,000 free tickets for the Games.

Some 2,419 schools applied for a share of the tickets - meaning 90% of the capital's 10 to 18-year-old students have a chance of seeing an event.

The tickets include 23,000 for Olympic Park events, 24,000 for contests elsewhere in the London region and 18,000 for the football tournament.

Some 60,000 tickets have been made available for the Paralympics.

Each school has now been told how many of the tickets it is getting.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "These tickets will ensure that in every part of London someone you know will be heading to an event at one of our terrific Olympic and Paralympic venues.

"These are London's Games so it's only right that the next generation are right at the heart of the action.

"Watching some of world's greatest athletes reach for gold, these young Londoners will form a huge part of what could be the most enduring legacy of these Games - a generation inspired and motivated to achieve their best in the classroom and out on the playing field."

Source
BBC NEWS LONDON

Civil engineering firm BAM Nuttall will help transform the Olympic Park once London 2012 is over, the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) announced today.

The British company has won two separate contracts to deliver £76 million worth of the work in the North Park and South Park areas of the site, which will be re-named the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the Games.

Around 500 temporary jobs will be created in the process with at least 20 per cent going to local residents in the Host Boroughs and with training and apprenticeship opportunities on offer.

The construction work is expected to take up to 18 months, although the OPLC has structured its phasing so that sections of the Park will be opened to the public from July 2013.

The company is calling the new phase "Clear, Connect, Complete" which will be funded out of the £292 million already set aside in the Olympic budget.

It will clear Games-time overlay including temporary venues, walkways and roads; connect the Park with new roads, cycle and pedestrian paths that stitch across the site and into the surrounding area; and complete permanent venues, bridges and parklands for their legacy use.

It will also prepare the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the Copper Box - the handball arena - for new tenants, and work on the Velopark by creating a mountain-bike trail and outdoor cycle circuit.

"The creation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be one of Europe's largest construction projects that will transform the existing infrastructure built for the Games into a new piece of London," said Andrew Altman, the chief executive of the OPLC.

"Through 'Clear, Connect, Complete' we will create an accessible place with public venues, open spaces and connections that reach out to our surrounding communities and entice visitors.

"BAM Nuttall worked on the original Olympic Park and their hands on knowledge will be invaluable in helping us to achieve our target of reopening the Park in phases from July 2013.

"This will be a huge achievement given the scale of construction work that is needed and another example of how legacy plans for the Park are more advanced than any previous host Olympic city."

The company, which was founded in 1865 and is now based in Camberley, has been involved with the site for the past four years.

"We are delighted with the award of these two prestigious contracts that will maintain our long association with the Olympic Park site, which currently spans some four years," said Stephen Fox, the chief executive of BAM Nuttall.

"We have been involved in the successful delivery of numerous projects at the Olympic Park including the original site preparation, the construction of bridges and a great deal of landscaping work.

"These new awards now mean that we will be able to utilise our specialist skills to create a permanent legacy, which will assist in the regeneration of this area of London."

The deal was also welcomed by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.

"London is streets ahead of previous Olympic cities when it comes to securing a lasting legacy from the Games and with this contract in place the future of the Olympic Park can now really begin to take shape," he said.

"The creation of thousands of new homes and hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships will bring huge benefits to East London and help drive growth across the capital for many years to come."

Source
By Duncan Mackay
www.insidethegames.biz

Over 1000 pages, use the Search Button

“To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield"

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary.
Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!

Over 1000 pages, use the Search Button

“To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield"

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary. Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!

The only place where success comes before the work is in the dictionary.
Over half of girls aged 11 to 16, would rather not do any Sport or Exercise!