Transport chief says 'go down the pub' to ease Olympic congestion

by liamssoft | January 30, 2012 at 12:05 pm

83 views | 3 Recommendations | 0 comments

Commuters should go to the pub after work to avoid inevitable travel disruption during the Olympics, London's transport chief said today.

The unlikely advice to hit the bar during the Games came at the launch of an information campaign to urge the public to adjust their travel plans during the Games when a million extra visitors will flood in to London.

The "Get Ahead of the Games" initiative includes a bespoke website highlighting Games-time travel hotspots; a nationwide advertising campaign and the use of social media to alleviate the strain.

Reflecting the scale of the campaign, the advertising will run for six months and achieve a billion "eyeballs".

With just under six months to go, the Games transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy called on commuters to adjust their travel plans.

"We are not saying don't travel. And we are not saying don't travel home at 5pm. But for those who can, go down the pub and travel at 6.30pm."

By following the Twitter hashtag @GAOTG, commuters will receive updates of sudden problems on roads, Tube and rail. It is TfL's first major foray into using social media for such alerts.

Olympic travel advice and hotspot information will be available at www.getaheadofthegames.com

Commuters will be urged to work at home or stagger their journeys; walk or cycle to work or change routes.

www.thisislondon.co.uk