London 2012 Olympics

Is sport just another word for fascism?

However a 'path' has just been laid across the Woolwich Common that takes you around the back of the funny shooting structures* and out into the road where the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is.

This gets you back to the 'cycle route' that avoids having to use either Shooters Hill Road or the Woolwich Common Road.

From observation maybe only relevant to me as I see very few cyclists around here :)

Not only relevant to you - I've been cycling and running into central Ldn, and haven't seen this path yet. Where does it start and is it ok for bikes? I don't like the John Wilson route at all.

Is sport just another word for fascism?

no but they go really well together.

Not only relevant to you - I've been cycling and running into central Ldn, and haven't seen this path yet. Where does it start and is it ok for bikes? I don't like the John Wilson route at all.

Here - highlighted in yellow.
Its ok for bikes now because the original rough track has been resurfaced with some smooth stuff. Expect to share with pedestrians.

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This morning I got a Boris propaganda thing through the door showing the Olympic Road Network.

The thing that struck me... before I saw the map inside, I had no idea whatsoever where the Olympic Park actually was.

Somewhere generally East. If I'd been pushed to put a pin in a map I would've put it near Romford. No wonder you guys are pissed, this thing appears to dominate where most of you live. It's going to be hell isn't it.

I wonder... do the Olympic Lane vehicle bans apply to cyclists? I hear by rumour that they do but this leaflet doesn't say. If so, what are they expecting cyclists to do? We won't be able to undertake for lack of space, cannot overtake as we'd touch an Olympic Lane... so... we'd have to become traffic? And the already bad situation would then get multiplied by the thousands of cyclists taking the space of cars.

Weren't they encouraging people to cycle? Seems like a cluster fuck of unintended consequences and poor planning.

Anyhow, didn't realise just how close it was to where you all live. I guess you should enjoy Westfield whilst it's being invested in and before it sinks to the standard of Brent Cross. The rest of the area is going to be an under-invested building site around white elephants for the next decade. You guys must be incandescent.

I was just pissed at not getting tickets and the corporate fascism... but you all have many more reasons to be pissed than I do.

People don't like change... carrying on regardless is precisely what the vast majority of people will do.

The Olympic lane ban does include people on bikes but as with all vehicles, the ban is only when the lane is operational which varies depending on which Olympic site is being used. TfL contacted me to ask what advice to give regarding filtering through traffic. I said that we advise people on bikes to filter right or remain in the traffic stream. We don't advise filtering left. Since they cannot advise to filter right (onto a games lane) their advice is to wait in the traffic queue!!

The fact that many of the off road well used commuter routes through East Hackney such as the River Lee and Greenway are closed is scandalous and counter all promises regarding access, this causes a major detour on busy roads for people used to short off road hop between Stratford and Victoria park.

As for Westfield. Cycle access to there is terrible and (apart from the fact that my son works there) it is a souless mall akin to Brent Cross or any other chain store massacre place

Is there an actual statement on that then?

I looked up the definition of "vehicle" with regards to road laws and the definition is a "motor vehicle" and needs to be "mechanically or electrically propelled". Which excludes a bicycle.

Did they go and write new laws for this then and specifically expanded the definition of a road vehicle to include cycles? As it stands, I read the stuff they've put in the post and it sounds like a more severe bus lane but with cycle access permitted (for it's not explicitly excluded).

The propaganda that I've received through the post offers no clarification and only reinforces the conclusion I've come to (there's a picture of a cyclist on the back of this particular leaflet.

From the OLs that I've seen so far, they are unlikely to be used by cyclists. You don't see anyone riding in the outside lane up Hyde Park/park lane , for instance, games lane or not.
How many cyclists will really be affected? That's the advantage of a bicycle, it's easy to find different routes.

Even looking at this page:
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/112.html

Absolutely no mention that OLs cannot be used by cyclists.

The only bit that might be relevant is "impact on roads" which links here:
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/london-road-predicted-impacts.html

But that appears to be general advice for car and motor vehicles rather than any advice to cyclists.

I can only deduce we get this brilliant network of new lanes to use.

This is probably posted upthread http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jul/10/olympics-regulations-cyclists

I understand that TfL have given advice in press releases regarding riding when OLs in operation. Perhaps they haven't wished to be too specific as any advice about filtering would counter advice given by (TfL funded) cycle training sessions

That's just a press story though. Nothing official on their own site it seems. What should I trust? Press... or the official site that is supposed to communicate it all?

Only trust the motorbike cop who chases you down waiving a ticket

Only trust the motorbike cop who chases you down waiving a ticket

So long as he waives it I don't have a problem.

I keep getting spammed with emails from Get Ahead of the Games advising me about planned road closures.

It occurs to me that one could purchase an hours time on a botnet, and a list of email addresses, and send out the same email, purporting to be from @tfl.gov.uk, but inventing your own road closures, rules such as "you may drive in the Games Lanes if dressed as a sports-person" etc etc.

"You may reverse up games lanes if you were born before 1980"

Is sport just another word for fascism?

no but they go really well together.

Are you sure that wasn't actually just a 'yes'?

I mean: survival of the fittest, the superman, the crushing of the weak, all this obsession with nationalism, 'victory', superiority... I find it hard to tell which parts of competitive sport aren't essentially fascistic?

Are you sure that wasn't actually just a 'yes'?

I mean: survival of the fittest, the superman, the crushing of the weak, all this obsession with nationalism, 'victory', superiority... I find it hard to tell which parts of competitive sport aren't essentially fascistic?

The vote for the head of FIFA only had one candidate...

Are you sure that wasn't actually just a 'yes'?

I mean: survival of the fittest, the superman, the crushing of the weak, all this obsession with nationalism, 'victory', superiority... I find it hard to tell which parts of competitive sport aren't essentially fascistic?

The Graeme Obree 'superman' (or 'master race') position is surely the most fascist of all cycle racing styles.

. I find it hard to tell which parts of competitive sport aren't essentially fascistic?

Boris, Boris, Boris

So I emailed the royal mail yesterday
Today I find the "we didn't deliver your shit" card, in an envelope, posted from the sorting office.
hmmm. that's a bit suspicious.

And after that stressing out I have my velodrome tickets. Phew!

Even looking at this page:
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/112.html

Absolutely no mention that OLs cannot be used by cyclists.

The only bit that might be relevant is "impact on roads" which links here:
http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/london-road-predicted-impacts.html

But that appears to be general advice for car and motor vehicles rather than any advice to cyclists.

I can only deduce we get this brilliant network of new lanes to use.
Who is / who is not allowed to use the games lanes is defined in the Traffic Regulation Orders, which derive their authority from the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006, and under Section 6 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Only "Official vehicles" are permitted to use the lanes

3.
Games Lane, Games Zone and Official Vehicle Only Route Controls
Subject to Article 9, no person shall cause any vehicle to be on a length of
road identified as a Games Lane, Games Zone or Official Vehicle Only Route
during the restricted hours identified on a drawing forming part of this Order
unless that vehicle is an Official Vehicle.

Where "Official Vehicle" is defined as:

u) ‘Official Vehicle’ means either :-
(i) a vehicle falling within a class of vehicles authorised by the Olympic
Delivery Authority to be issued with a permit and which is displaying
that permit; or
(ii) a vehicle with a vehicle registration number which is authorised by the
Olympic Delivery Authority for inclusion in a list of exempt vehicles.
v) ‘vehicle’ includes any part of a vehicle;
w) ‘Official Vehicle Only Route’ means a length of road which is identified as
an ‘Official Vehicle Only Route’ on a drawing forming part of this Order and
in respect of which traffic signs are in place indicating the controls specified
in this Order;

There are exemptions, but none that apply to pedal cycles.

Enforcement is via the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Traffic Management Act 2004.

Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 for "Contravention of traffic regulation order" usually result in a maximum fine of £1,000 (level 3 on the standard scale) - now they may result in a maximum fine of £5,000 (level 5 on the standard scale).

Which, of course, is entirely proportional and fair.

For the purpose of the RTA / RTRA, pedal cycles are not motor vehicles, but are vehicles.

I don't see how the civil penalties under the TMA can apply to cyclists in any way (nor how they can be enforced in any way).

It's all clear as mud.

Like the security issue (where G4S have employed a selection of vagrants for a penny over minimum wage) the govt. and LOCOG will deal with this with what is called "organic problem solving". This is also known as "making it up as you go along" because they didn't start planning in time.

Cunts.

I say use the Olympic Lames (deliberate typo!) and cry with laughter when they try to nick you with the bullshit legal statute above.

I'd love to see some vast lump of fake bacon chase me across town!

Are you sure that wasn't actually just a 'yes'?

I mean: survival of the fittest, the superman, the crushing of the weak, all this obsession with nationalism, 'victory', superiority... I find it hard to tell which parts of competitive sport aren't essentially fascistic?

You need to see a shrink, get out more, keep off the grass etc..

Like the security issue (where G4S have employed a selection of vagrants for a penny over minimum wage) the govt. and LOCOG will deal with this with what is called "organic problem solving". This is also known as "making it up as you go along" because they didn't start planning in time.

Cunts.

I say use the Olympic Lames (deliberate typo!) and cry with laughter when they try to nick you with the bullshit legal statute above.

I'd love to see some vast lump of fake bacon chase me across town!
Only old bill would be able to do that (as far as I can tell) - TfL / civvy / non-constable types can only issues penalty charge notices, via approved devices (i.e. cameras) and only then to vehicles.