Monday 16 July 2012

M4 Re-opened ....Warning re Olympic Routes

Been out of touch with no internet access 'til today fm last Thursday;  so was pleased to see that the M4 reopened early on Friday morning.    I think the reopening could not have been widely reported or seen by drivers over the week-end.  Coming into London on the A3 last night the end of the dual carriage-way of the A3 Kingston By-Pass was solid with traffic for over a mile.  Probably most were avoiding the M4.  Finger crossed the Boston Manor M4 bridges will be OK from now on!!
However!! Drivers should beware that the old M4 Bus Lane (red surface outside lane) between junctions 2 & 3 which was re-opened to all traffic several years ago is again closed to normal traffic.  It is currently exclusively an Olympic Route between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m..   Drivers who use the lane in between these times until the end of the Olympics face £130 fines.  This fine also applies to using olympic lanes operating in the rest of London with £200 fines being levied on parked cars in the lanes. 

I can see huge confusion being caused on these routes.  Regular commuting drivers used to keeping out of bus lanes may find that once olympic routes are in operation that the bus lanes are open and their usual lane to the right of bus lanes has been designated an olympic one.   Regular drivers on these routes will have to use the bus lanes - Confusing or what!!!  The fines above will apply for those caught out by bad signage or ignorance.

LBC Radio have a useful site on road closures http://www.lbc.co.uk/2012-olympics-road-closures-overview-46779

No comments:

Post a Comment