Weymouth and Portland Olympic travel advice row (From Dorset Echo)
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Weymouth and Portland Olympic travel advice row
11:00am Thursday 19th July 2012 in News By Emma Walker
ROAD OR RAIL? Mount Pleasant Park and Ride, Weymouth
VISITORS to Weymouth and Portland during the Olympic Sailing events face travel confusion.
The thousands of people expected to arrive for the Games have been offered conflicting advice on how they should get to the area.
Rail bosses have recommended that spectators travelling to the area should go by car.
The company has already come under fire for not allowing bicycles on trains during the Olympic period.
It comes after months spent by Dorset County Council and the Olympic Delivery Authority warning people that roads will be congested and to consider public transport.
South West Trains has warned there could be an extra 80,000 passengers a day on its network during the Games.
Managing director of South West Trains Tim Shoveller said: “We’ll be running diesel because we can’t run electric because of the power supply problem so the park-and-ride is the primary way people are being advised to get to Weymouth for the sailing.”
The firm will provide extra services as it runs at up to 40 per cent extra capacity but the limited power supply on the line to Weymouth will affect services.
Weymouth has been subject to about £100m worth of widespread road changes including the Weymouth relief road.
Mr Shoveller added: “The Olympic events in Weymouth have been designed around the private car, not around public transport. We want people to plan ahead to make sure they avoid delays and disruption.
“But even with huge amounts of planning and preparation, we can’t create unlimited capacity.
“We also face power supply challenges that restrict the number and length of trains we can run to Weymouth.
“That’s why roads, rail, buses and airports have worked together to offer transport options for people attending the Games.”
It comes after hoteliers and traders told the Echo that radio adverts telling people the area will be congested has put visitors off.
Weymouth taxi driver Eddie Hawkins fears the ‘fiasco’ will destroy summer-time trade as people will be put off from coming to the area at all.
He said: “The council have been telling people not to come in their cars and now South West trains are telling them to drive as the trains will be busy.
“It is absolutely ludicrous. This advice really sums up the whole fiasco of the Olympics .
“My advice to people would be to just come to Weymouth and enjoy a holiday and the area.”
Angus Campbell , Dorset Olympic board chairman and leader of Dorset County Council, said: “To help minimise congestion on Dorset roads it is important to plan ahead and book a space at an Olympic park and ride.”
‘Don’t leave it to last minute’
A PUBLIC awareness campaign called Get Ahead of the Games is being run by the Olympic Delivery Authority to warn potential visitors of the need to make travel plans early.
Hugh Sumner, director of transport at the Olympic Delivery Authority said: “The road and public transport network in the local area will be exceptionally busy during the Games and so, to ensure that everyone can make the most of things this summer, it’s important that both residents and visitors are advised to plan their travel at the same time as they are making their hotel bookings, not leave it to the last minute.”
Comments(29)
Duckorange
says...
11:15am Thu 19 Jul 12
Sparticles
says...
11:32am Thu 19 Jul 12
Laadeeda
says...
11:34am Thu 19 Jul 12
There's a message there somewhere!!!
CharlieBarley
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11:56am Thu 19 Jul 12
The road signs at Bere Regis were changed 10 years ago to reduce traffic at Littlemoor lights. Since the Relief Road opened the signs have yet to be changed back, so now Weymouth traffic is still directed through Bere Regis, Wool and Osmington rather than along the Puddletown bypass and into Weymouth on the Relief Road.
Caption Sensible
says...
12:02pm Thu 19 Jul 12
CharlieBarley wrote:Good call.
Anyone driving to Weymouth who comes down the A31 or A35, when they get to Bere Regis all of the road signs direct traffic through Wool and down to Weymouth via Osmington and Preston. With extra trains the level crossing at Wool will be closed more often meaning long queues at Wool. The road signs at Bere Regis were changed 10 years ago to reduce traffic at Littlemoor lights. Since the Relief Road opened the signs have yet to be changed back, so now Weymouth traffic is still directed through Bere Regis, Wool and Osmington rather than along the Puddletown bypass and into Weymouth on the Relief Road.
terra firma
says...
12:08pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Are they seriously suggesting that in all those years from the first announcement that the UK was hosting the games, nobody had the savvy to charter / reserve extra deisel engines and coaches to augnment the electric rolloing Stock.
It just means that once again we are the International laughing Stock!
Micke12
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12:19pm Thu 19 Jul 12
So what is left- Air, Sea or Walk. Cannot sail in as there is an exclusion area policed by gunboats. Cannot Fly in as exclusion zone in place patrolled by combat air patrol over the exclusion zone. Long way to walk with excessive cost of shoe leather and by the time the visitors get here, they will be too tired to do anything anyway - so no profit for the town from people coming by foot. Seems to me, the only transport option left is to come in by bike, but only 600 to 800 bike parking spaces available.
I support the Olympics as a Once in a lifetime event and the spirit of union it brings to the communities that are involved, but if we cannot get the transport right, how on earth are we going to get the games right. Seems to me that if the rail tracks cannot supply the electricity demand of the trains running on it, then the power supplies to the lines should have been uprated to supply the necessary power to cope with more and longer trains. That stinks of bad management by Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies.
The routing of traffic to Weymouth and Portland via Wool and Preston Beach Road should have been removed the minute that the new relief road opened, as the reason for the routing via Wool was no longer applicable. A total ****-up by DCC Highways Dept.
Seems to me that too many people and organisations have been concentrating their collective minds on the profits that they can gain from this and not to how the transport infrastructure can be made to work with the least possible disruption. I have to ask why, there are two lanes on the relief road going out of Weymouth and only one lane in. Are the powers that be saying that they want people to vacate Weymouth, not come here.
Micke12
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12:25pm Thu 19 Jul 12
terra firma wrote:An where, pray tell me, were they going to get this extra rolling stock. Surely this extra rolling stock would have been reserved by other franchise holders as soon as possible and we would not have been able to get this stock anyway.
I think the debate needs to be about the quality of personnel running South West Trains and their continued suitablity to hold this Franchise.
Are they seriously suggesting that in all those years from the first announcement that the UK was hosting the games, nobody had the savvy to charter / reserve extra deisel engines and coaches to augnment the electric rolloing Stock.
It just means that once again we are the International laughing Stock!
Any extra trains to and from Weymouth would have been bottlenecked at the Dorchester to Wool section of the track as this is only single track, so it would not matter how much rolling stock you have, there will always be a 12 minute of more delay at this bottleneck.
I do agree howver, that I think we are going to be the laughing stock of the world on this one. We have not even finished the Olmypic stadium proerly in London and the games competitors are already here. What on earth must they be thinking right now. LMFAO
Dorset Boy
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1:01pm Thu 19 Jul 12
youngpete
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1:12pm Thu 19 Jul 12
maximan
says...
1:14pm Thu 19 Jul 12
We've had your money - now goodbye
We fleeced you good, we bled you dry
Goodbye goodbye
(repeat to fade)
Lovely Money ..the Damned
terra firma
says...
1:16pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Micke12 wrote:Are you really suggesting that if SWT had been open and up front with this from an early stage, some entrepreneur wouldn't have organised a special or two, even in an Olympic livery?
terra firma wrote:An where, pray tell me, were they going to get this extra rolling stock. Surely this extra rolling stock would have been reserved by other franchise holders as soon as possible and we would not have been able to get this stock anyway.
I think the debate needs to be about the quality of personnel running South West Trains and their continued suitablity to hold this Franchise.
Are they seriously suggesting that in all those years from the first announcement that the UK was hosting the games, nobody had the savvy to charter / reserve extra deisel engines and coaches to augnment the electric rolloing Stock.
It just means that once again we are the International laughing Stock!
Any extra trains to and from Weymouth would have been bottlenecked at the Dorchester to Wool section of the track as this is only single track, so it would not matter how much rolling stock you have, there will always be a 12 minute of more delay at this bottleneck.
I do agree howver, that I think we are going to be the laughing stock of the world on this one. We have not even finished the Olmypic stadium proerly in London and the games competitors are already here. What on earth must they be thinking right now. LMFAO
Others seem to be able to organise specials across the country on a regular basis.
Sparticles
says...
1:47pm Thu 19 Jul 12
I think that this is a case of SWT saying well you made your choices now live with the consequences.
ksmain
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7:27pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Dorset Boy wrote:Me too - am going several hundreds of miles away (Turkey) to get away from the fiasco I knew was going to occur several months ago.
Am I glad that I am heading out of Dorset to get away from this embarassing fiasco.
Whatever is done, Weymouth ends in a dead end - that you cannot rectify.
I actually do feel sorry for anyone living on Portland or Wyke Regis ...
niceonecyril
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7:59pm Thu 19 Jul 12
ksmain
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8:53pm Thu 19 Jul 12
niceonecyril wrote:I notice a story on this site about a pub that is thinking of holding human table top football.
Do you lot of whingers have meetings or something, because you all appear at once as soon as the Olympics are mentioned, do you actually sit at your computer and wait for the word or do you work on a system of phone calls warning each other, I notice it's the same people moaning that were proved wrong about the new road system, you really are going to look stupid while the rest of us normal people are having a great Olympic experience.
In Weymouth in a weeks or so time we can all join in a game of 'Car Sardines'.
Have you ever considered you may not be 'normal' in enjoying the Olympic experience? How do you know that it may not be more 'normal' not to?
ksmain
says...
9:07pm Thu 19 Jul 12
niceonecyril wrote:I notice a story on this site about a pub that is thinking of holding human table top football.
Do you lot of whingers have meetings or something, because you all appear at once as soon as the Olympics are mentioned, do you actually sit at your computer and wait for the word or do you work on a system of phone calls warning each other, I notice it's the same people moaning that were proved wrong about the new road system, you really are going to look stupid while the rest of us normal people are having a great Olympic experience.
In Weymouth in a weeks or so time we can all join in a game of 'Car Sardines'.
Have you ever considered you may not be 'normal' in enjoying the Olympic experience? How do you know that it may not be more 'normal' not to?
I'mavoter
says...
11:09pm Thu 19 Jul 12
niceonecyril wrote:Ha Ha. Let's hope you don't moan then, when you won't be able to get anywhere around Weymouth when the charade starts !
Do you lot of whingers have meetings or something, because you all appear at once as soon as the Olympics are mentioned, do you actually sit at your computer and wait for the word or do you work on a system of phone calls warning each other, I notice it's the same people moaning that were proved wrong about the new road system, you really are going to look stupid while the rest of us normal people are having a great Olympic experience.
Jello Biafra
says...
8:42pm Fri 20 Jul 12
We've had your money, now goodbye
We fleeced you good we bled you dry
Jello Biafra
says...
8:43pm Fri 20 Jul 12
Jello Biafra
says...
8:43pm Fri 20 Jul 12
paddyp
says...
9:40pm Fri 20 Jul 12
Jello Biafra wrote:...im having a" holiday in cambodia"...
Now off you go, away you fly
We've had your money, now goodbye
We fleeced you good we bled you dry
tackleberry
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12:57pm Sat 21 Jul 12
davecook
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10:17pm Sat 21 Jul 12
Nan 60
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8:38am Sun 22 Jul 12
bollywood
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12:30pm Sun 22 Jul 12
I'mavoter
says...
6:27pm Mon 23 Jul 12
niceonecyril wrote:Yes I hope you enjoy your Olympic experience, even though you'll have trouble getting anywhere, as many of the town's road will be closed, and the rest will be jammed. If you've paid £55 for a Nothe ticket, you now can't take a folding chair or a picnic, you'll have to eat from one of Lord Almighty Coe's favoured food suppliers at rip-off prices. And the moaners were NOT proved wrong over the new traffic system at all, just the opposite in fact. It takes much longer now to come from Wyke to town via Rodwell Road, with queues back as far as Cross road from Boot Hill, and at Westway Road queuing the whole length of the road from Harbour junction back to Westham junction at busy times.
Do you lot of whingers have meetings or something, because you all appear at once as soon as the Olympics are mentioned, do you actually sit at your computer and wait for the word or do you work on a system of phone calls warning each other, I notice it's the same people moaning that were proved wrong about the new road system, you really are going to look stupid while the rest of us normal people are having a great Olympic experience.
MRCHAOS
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1:13pm Tue 24 Jul 12
snowleopard says...
11:13am Thu 19 Jul 12