Olympic Games Lanes

Actually, I could just play the lost Aussie tourist. That's worked before.

Actually, I could just play the lost Aussie tourist. That's worked before.

Funny that sounds very similar to my strategy for coping with the police when I'm in Australia.

You sound like a lost Aussie, in Australia?

No Lost British tourist, should have clarified that!

I don't think the effect would be the same bobbo

Works quite well I find. However I once got lost in Sydney and asked a policeman for directions, his response? "Do I look like a bloody tour guide mate?"

"well yes you do actually"

Lucky you were in Sydney. Melbourne cops would've just shot you and said you "resisted arrest".

Surely not, I thought the police in Melbourne were far too busy with booze buses and sitting at the side of the road taking pictures of speeding motorists to actually be out of their cars walking around and engaging with the public.

My favourite being when the police fly around the Mornington Peninsula in a helicopter to catch speeding motorists.

You lot have got it all wrong we must be major sponsors of the olympics, is this not being funded in a big way by the tax payer and lottery players. so if you pay tax and/or play the lottery just keep your tickets or P60 and show them as proof of sponsoring the Olympics

Actually, I could just play the lost Aussie tourist. That's worked before.

Funny that sounds very similar to my strategy for coping with the police when I'm in Australia.

You sound like a lost Aussie, in Australia?

No Lost British tourist, should have clarified that!

Don't rise to it, Bobbo, hippy was just playing the lost Aussie tourist there. :)

4,000 BMWs for Olympic Officials

I'll be sure to stay out of their way. And doff my cap like a good serf, thank you sir.

What the fuck? Nice little deal there. Wankers.

Well, that's utterly disgusting. Who's paying for these 4000 BMWs then? Apparently they cost 'up to' £30k, but if you say £25k average that's £100 million.

I have asked them via Twitter, I don't expect a reply...

I may well have a number of accidents with boxes of drawing pins during the olympics. Be a pity if they all happen along the olympic lanes on the morning of major events.

Well, that's utterly disgusting. Who's paying for these 4000 BMWs then? Apparently they cost 'up to' £30k, but if you say £25k average that's £100 million.

I have asked them via Twitter, I don't expect a reply...

BMW is the official supplier to the olympics.
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/olympics2012/homepage/

Therefore BMW are paying. Through the fucking nose.

Whilst it annoys me that the official supplier isn't a British manufactured vehicle such as Jaguar, it amuses me that BMW are going to be in hock for £100 million and be left with 4000 cars that they can't get rid of too quickly for fear of killing the second-hand values.

Edit: here's the list:
The official vehicle fleet will comprise:
Highly efficient diesel vehicles (BMW 320d and 520d EfficientDynamics and 318d)
200 electric vehicles (40 MINI Es and 160 BMW 1 Series ActiveEs)
BMW 5 Series Active Hybrid
Motorcycles (BMW R1200 RT, R1200 GS, F650 GS)
400 BMW Cruise bicycles
Electrically-assisted BMW Pedelec bicycles

Think of the Legacy

We've got Barclays Cycle Hire, now we can have BMW Auto Hire.

Who's paying for these 4000 BMWs then? Apparently they cost 'up to' £30k, but if you say £25k average that's £100 million.

I have asked them via Twitter, I don't expect a reply...

So I would guess that......BMW may have negotiated (or at least the expectation of) a contra as part of their Olympic sponsorship deals, total cash invested slightly reduced for the vehicle provision expenses, however, the cars themselves can obviously be supplied at cost rather than retail....then resold second hand into the retail market afterwards still at a profit - to avoid hitting second hands cars in the UK I also wouldn't be surprised to see a big lump of left hand drives, which can then be shunted back to mainland Europe.

Just a few thoughts....

I should add that the other option may well be to knock them out as special editions at a further premium to the standard second hand price.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few police forces suddenly got offered free vehicles again.

Saw this tucked away at the end of a BBC story today;
"Locog chairman Sebastian Coe defended 30 miles of controversial Games Lanes that will be introduced for Olympic vehicles during London 2012, describing the Olympic Route Network (ORN) as "a Godsend for athletes".

The introduction of the ORN and Games Lanes for officials, international media, VIPs and emergency vehicles has sparked anger with businesses and residents concerned about increased congestion and traffic restrictions, particularly in London.

[/B]Mr Johnson was adamant cyclists would not face any impediments as a result of increased congestion, saying the Games would be "a bonanza for cyclists"[B]."

Either they've waived the cyclist-exclusion rule on the bus lanes or he's talking out of his arse..

Maybe congestion will be so bad that London will be completely gridlocked, leaving bikes as the only viable transport, outside of the Green lanes?

If this is how they propose to get more of the population onto bikes, it's a pretty brutal way to go about it.

Effective though- if you cannot get the car onto the road, then you cannot use it