London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

London 2012 was successful for many reasons. The smooth-running transportation, the friendly ‘Games Maker’ volunteers, the exciting opening ceremonies and the slick stadia all came together to create a great sporting event.

In the aftermath of one of the greatest shows on earth, talk has already turned to the next host nation, Brazil. With Rio in the process of investing $14bn public funds in preparation for the World Cup and an additional $11.5bn on the 2016 Olympics, what can they take from the UK’s experience of hosting such an enormous event? Also, what can events such as the Pan-American Games 2015 in Toronto learn?

Transportation should be varied, ample and on time The London 2012 Games were billed as the first ever ‘public transport’ summer Games, with no public parking available at any of the venues. The challenge of moving nine million spectators for the Olympic Games and two million spectators for the Paralympic Games in addition to the 300,000 or so athletes, officials, media and workforce – collectively known as the Games Family – was huge.

In preparation for the Games the UK Government, the Olympic Delivery Authority, the Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committees, Transport for London and other agencies worked together to ensure the transportation network was fit for purpose. Transport for London (TfL) carried out numerous improvements to the train network, including: the expansion of the London Overground East London Line, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line, and the introduction of a new Javelin high-speed rail service. Plus, an additional 4,000 train services operated during the Games to cope with the influx of visitors.

TfL also built a $40 million cable car across the River Thames to link Olympic venues. The Emirates Air Line carried up to 2,500 passengers an hour, crossing every 30 seconds.

The public should receive information and advice to plan ahead

A key component of the bid to host the 2012 Games in London was an acceptance that even with significant improvements to the transportation network, complementary measures to change Londoner’s travel behavior were also required to ensure the success of the Games. The delivery partners therefore embarked on the development and delivery of the largest events-focused transportation demand management (TDM) campaign ever seen.

The program included provision of advice, information and supporting tools to influence the travel behavior of those living, working and playing in London and adjacent to non-London venues. The objective being to change the way in which they traveled by reducing their travel or changing their route, mode or time of travel so as to avoid hotspots. This was to free-up capacity on the network for those going to events.

In addition to engaging with the business community in the most affected areas (through workshops, one-to-one meetings and other forms of communication) to encourage them to introduce changes to their operations (for example, flexible working hours, working from home, out of hours deliveries) there was a wide ranging public awareness campaign that used traditional and emerging marketing interventions such as social media to persuade people to travel at less busy times, on less busy routes and using less busy modes (particularly walking and cycling). The program was supported by web-tools for businesses and individuals alike intended to make the experience as easy as possible.

To support this activity spectators were also subject to a travel advice and information campaign. This included the development of a tailored spectator journey planning tool and other more traditional resources such as mapping and travel advice for getting to/from venues. All travel advice provided encouraged spectators to travel by routes that avoided the worst of the anticipated congestion.

In addition, and to make all journeys easier, an eye-catching wayfinding system blanketed the city. Stations, venues and commuter hubs were populated with bright pink signage which made journeys on foot and bike particularly easy.

Create venues with future purpose

The 560-acre Olympic site sits on former underutilized land in East London, an area desperate for regeneration. There were concerns that post-Olympics the venues could become desolate and devoid of purpose. However, it was an integral part of London’s successful bid to host the games that the Olympics legacy transformed the East London from being one of the poorest parts of the country to one that shared fully in the capital’s growth and prosperity.

The focus now is on ensuring the site serves as a working reminder of what was achieved during the Olympics. Plans are thus in place to help the Olympic Park flourish, providing the community with green space and leisure facilities. Over $900 million has been budgeted to make the park habitable by April 2015. Up to 11,000 homes will be created, some converted from the housing that the athletes stayed in and as the area develops, around 4,000 jobs will be created.

The Aquatics Centre and handball venue the Copper Box have been acquired for municipal and professional use, and the Velodrome and BMX track will become part of a leisure area called the London VeloPark.

Several temporary structures, including the basketball arena, have the potential to be reused elsewhere. The cavernous media center, which was home to both press and broadcast teams, will be transformed into a technology hub including a data center emirates air line, london olympic stadium, london and London’s largest TV studio. During the development over 6,000 jobs will be created directly on site and in the local area.

While the Olympic Stadium currently has no operator or tenant, several tenancy bids will be considered over the coming months, with local soccer club West Ham the favorite to become tenants.

It is testimony to a combination of improved transportation infrastructure and services, the comprehensive TDM program, and high quality accessible venues that transportation at the London 2012 Games did not become the thing that dominated the headlines as many thought it might.