34 Days to go!

Key members of the team delivering the Olympic Games transport from
every agency imaginable gather together alongside RM613 in
Greenwich during a brief interlude at their last networking event
before Games Time really gets underway

Firstly to say thank you for the hundreds of messages I have received on and around my birthday. I know Facebook and all the other electronic media tell you when it is, but you all did take the deliberate step of writing to me either by email, on Facebook, and similar. So thank you!

It has always been the longest day (in terms of daylight that is, although the day I was born my mother also thought so), but this week with everything going on, it certainly was. The number of hits to this blog is always a bit of a litmus test and in the time before the strike on London's buses people were certainly checking in here for any information and news.

I am sure you will understand that this personal blog isn't the place for me to discuss the dispute directly but I do want to use it to thank all of the TfL, rail and bus company staff who worked so hard to help keep London moving. Thanks to your hard work the inconvenience to London was minimised.

This now leaves us with just some 34 days to the Opening Ceremony. The Torch Relay, today approaching Manchester, is now half way through.

But things are happening now. The Mall is already closed for the construction of the Central London venue, as is Horse Guards Road. All over London magenta signs are appearing at stations and signs indicating the Olympic Route Network are being installed.

From the start of July we will start to adjust traffic signal timings to create enough capacity on specific routes as the Olympic family, media and others start to arrive. Early in July the Kingsway Subway will operate in the reverse direction and from the weekend of 20th July all the major physical works, banned turns, stopping places, and bus route diversions will be in place. The Torch Relay is in London that week.

The message is clear. Plan ahead. You can see in great detail every area of affected London on the web - GetAheadoftheGames.com tells you everything you need to know. So in your circle of work colleagues, friends, relations; in the pub, club, gym; on the golf course or at home - tell everyone you can that the time is now and a little preparation will help everyone enjoy this amazing experience which is about to unfold onto the streets of London!

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