Business travel buyers and managers have been urged to think now about their companies’ travel plans during the Olympic Games.
At Carlson Wagonlit’s (CWT) UK Exchange in London, the Olympics was a hot topic of conversation.
When the audience of buyers was asked if they had a strategy in place, the majority did not raise their hands.
A presentation by Transport for London at the UK Exchange revealed travel delays would be likely during the Olympic period.
Speaker Antonino Letteriello, TfL’s Olympic programme and risk manager, urged buyers in the audience to discourage their travellers from attempting to travel in certain areas during peak periods.
Instead, he encouraged businesses to consider asking staff to work from home, or to use a different mode of transport to travel to work, such as Barclays Cycle Hire or walking.
London Bridge, Canary Wharf and Bank are likely to see high demand and long delays, he said, which means “significant changes in behaviour” will be needed.
Letteriello said Transport for London would be well prepared for the games, having invested £6.5 billion in transport capacity enhancements.
The times of Underground operations will also be extended during the Olympics, with the last train leaving central London later than normal, at 1.30pm and starting earlier, at 5am.
Extra tube capacity will also be added in the evenings to cater for extra demand, while 200 extra buses will be put into service.
Businesses can find more information about travel during the Olympics here: www.london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness