Motorists faced widespread gridlock this morning as drivers were excluded from 30 miles of controversial reserved VIP ‘Games Lanes’ in the capital - and the threat of a £130 fine if they go into them.
As Olympic planners prepared for Friday's opening ceremony, 'Games Lanes' came into force across London, causing inevitable traffic chaos on already busy road networks, as well as delays on the London Underground as those trying to escape queues opted for public transport.
Police warned that London's roads are already 'at capacity', while motorists told of rush-hour gridlock, including queues of cars travelling at just 10mph along the eastbound stretch of the M4 from Heathrow into London.
There were a number of heavily-congested hot spots around London during the rush-hour, with the M4 and A4 approach in west London twice as busy as normal according to traffic analysts.
There were also hold-ups for motorists on the A12 at the Lea Interchange in east London and at the A13 Canning Town Flyover.
The A40 around Ealing and at Westway in west London was also congested, while Grosvenor Place in Victoria in central London and the Hyde Park Corner Junction were also busy.Other areas of London where there were rush-hour jams included Tower Bridge and Baker Street.
One of the affected lines was the Metropolitan which will carry thousands of people to Wembley Stadium for Olympic football matches.
The Cabinet minister responsible, Jeremy Hunt, admitted: ‘The next 48 hours are absolutely critical.’
But despite pleas by the Prime Minister for ministers not to use the lanes he also did not rule out taking advantage of them himself – though only when on official business and for ‘operational and security’ reasons, he insisted: ‘It might happen from time to time.’
Culture, Media, Sport and Olympics Secretary Mr Hunt denied this was a ‘cop-out’ and stressed that if going to the Games purely for the ‘enjoyment’ of watching the sport he would use public transport like everyone else.
'There will be a lot of disruption and London is a congested city anyway.'
The AA said the Games Lanes will make traffic in London 'pretty hectic', adding that the best way for motorists to keep ahead of delays is to watch temporary signs which show when the lanes are live and inactive.
Despite the reported lengthy delays, Locog claimed there was minimal disruption.
Debbie Jevans, Locog's director of sport, said: 'The traffic has moved, the Olympic lanes have worked well this morning and athletes have gone to the venues and are training as they have been for a week now.
Speaking at the Olympic Park, Jackie Brock-Doyle, Locog's director of communications, added: 'London is moving well this morning.'
Commuters have also had to contend with the hot weather this week, as soaring temperatures led to speed restrictions on rail services.
Yesterday, the ultra-hot weather led to speed restrictions on Greater Anglia services which meant some trains did not stop at Stratford, the closest station to the Olympic Park in east London.
Today, speed restrictions were in place on First Great Western services in and out of Paddington station in London. Trains were not running between Paddington and Greenford in west London.
Motorists will be told which roads have active Games Lanes through 150 temporary signs placed around the capital.
Londoners and road users took to Twitter this morning to describe the condition of the roads as the Games Lanes opened.
The lanes have been nicknamed ‘Zil lanes’ after the limousines used to ferry communist leaders in specially reserved lanes from the Kremlin during the Soviet era in Russia.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘Ministers will be using public transport to get to the Games wherever possible, unless particular operational or security reasons mean that cars are required.
As Olympic planners prepared for Friday's opening ceremony, 'Games Lanes' came into force across London, causing inevitable traffic chaos on already busy road networks, as well as delays on the London Underground as those trying to escape queues opted for public transport.
Police warned that London's roads are already 'at capacity', while motorists told of rush-hour gridlock, including queues of cars travelling at just 10mph along the eastbound stretch of the M4 from Heathrow into London.
There were a number of heavily-congested hot spots around London during the rush-hour, with the M4 and A4 approach in west London twice as busy as normal according to traffic analysts.
Standstill: Road networks in London already creaking under rush-hour traffic saw even more queue chaos as the Games Lanes went live
Sign of things to come: As the Olympic Games Lane officially opened around London this morning, there was predictable traffic gridlock, including on this stretch of the A4 near Hammersmith, west London
Aside from the occasional errant motorist, the majority of road users decided not to risk a fine in the Games Lanes, sitting instead in gridlocked traffic
Later estimates by the AA put the rush-hour tailbacks at around 12 miles on the western approach into London.
There were also hold-ups for motorists on the A12 at the Lea Interchange in east London and at the A13 Canning Town Flyover.
The A40 around Ealing and at Westway in west London was also congested, while Grosvenor Place in Victoria in central London and the Hyde Park Corner Junction were also busy.
On the Tube, there were severe rush-hour delays today on three Underground lines, two days before the start of the Olympics.
One of the affected lines was the Metropolitan which will carry thousands of people to Wembley Stadium for Olympic football matches.
Confusion: In some areas of London, it appeared unclear as to whether the Games Lanes were operational, with some motorists risking a fine by straying into them to beat the traffic
Chaotic: Even official Olympic vehivles found themselves struggling into central London this morning as rush hour and the Games Lanes combined to give motorists headaches
Jammed: An AA Roadwatch image from around 8.45am today shows the extent of the traffic problems, with the M4 from Heathrow being particularly chaotic
But despite pleas by the Prime Minister for ministers not to use the lanes he also did not rule out taking advantage of them himself – though only when on official business and for ‘operational and security’ reasons, he insisted: ‘It might happen from time to time.’
Culture, Media, Sport and Olympics Secretary Mr Hunt denied this was a ‘cop-out’ and stressed that if going to the Games purely for the ‘enjoyment’ of watching the sport he would use public transport like everyone else.
Across the capital in east London, motorists queued along the A12 near Leyton, as the Games Lane remained completely clear
Speaking on BBC News 24, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said it was not surprising there had been some disruption to traffic on the day the lanes became operational.
'There will be a lot of disruption and London is a congested city anyway.'
The AA said the Games Lanes will make traffic in London 'pretty hectic', adding that the best way for motorists to keep ahead of delays is to watch temporary signs which show when the lanes are live and inactive.
Despite the reported lengthy delays, Locog claimed there was minimal disruption.
Debbie Jevans, Locog's director of sport, said: 'The traffic has moved, the Olympic lanes have worked well this morning and athletes have gone to the venues and are training as they have been for a week now.
Speaking at the Olympic Park, Jackie Brock-Doyle, Locog's director of communications, added: 'London is moving well this morning.'
Commuters have also had to contend with the hot weather this week, as soaring temperatures led to speed restrictions on rail services.
Yesterday, the ultra-hot weather led to speed restrictions on Greater Anglia services which meant some trains did not stop at Stratford, the closest station to the Olympic Park in east London.
Today, speed restrictions were in place on First Great Western services in and out of Paddington station in London. Trains were not running between Paddington and Greenford in west London.
Londoners and road users took to Twitter this morning to describe the condition of the roads as the Games Lanes opened.
One user, James Shrager, said: 'The #gameslane on the m4 is an embarrassing joke. There isn't one on the elevated section and it's a car park. Poor athletes.'
The lanes have been nicknamed ‘Zil lanes’ after the limousines used to ferry communist leaders in specially reserved lanes from the Kremlin during the Soviet era in Russia.
One of the most notorious symbols of Whitehall’s war on the motorist - the controversial M4 Bus lane – sprang back to life a week ago as the first ‘Games Lane’ ferrying VIPs from Heathrow Airport to the Olympic village and the capital’s top hotels.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘Ministers will be using public transport to get to the Games wherever possible, unless particular operational or security reasons mean that cars are required.
Warning: Drivers now face a £130 fine if they stray into the designated Games Lanes from now on
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