CLOSING Weymouth Esplanade to cars from 10am until 10pm daily during the Olympic sailing events is among a raft of new measures proposed for 2012.

Hoteliers, guesthouse owners and tourist attraction representatives demanded more information at an event run by Dorset County Council and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

The local area transport proposals, which were unveiled to local tourism businesses ahead of three public drop-in sessions beginning today, included: * Closing the Esplanade, part of King Street and Westham Road to cars from 10am to 10pm daily during Games time.

* Special ‘gold paper’ Parking permits being issued to seafront businesses, including hotel guests.

* ‘Hard checkpoints’, including one by the Town Bridge, to ensure only drivers with parking permits can access seafront parking and the Condor Ferries terminal.

* Park Street will have an ‘accessibility hub’ with 60 disability parking spaces for Blue Badge holders and 18 accessible shuttle buses.

* Parking in front of Weymouth Train Station will be replaced by a queue point for pedestrians, with parking relocated to private land behind the station, owned by Network Rail.

* The Swannery car park will operate as a transport hub for hundreds of buses dropping people off from park and ride sites.

Around 40 people gathered at the Centenary Club yesterday to hear of local preparations for next summer’s Olympic and Paralympic sailing events, which included guidance for businesses on how to operate during the major tourist attraction.

Sarah Price, travel and transport technical officer for Dorset County Council, said permit parking will include areas around Alexandra Gardens, Custom House Quay, Melcombe Regis, Grosvenor Road car park and a car park near Brewers Quay.

A ‘special gold piece of paper’ will get visitors to guesthouses and hotels through the check points.

Between 60 and 120 shuttle buses will run between the park and ride facilities to Swannery Car Park transport hub at peak times, two coach stations will be established near the Sea Life Park at Lodmoor for direct and private coaches, while Hackney Carriage cabs will be based at various ranks around the town.

She added: “The Esplanade, part of King Street and Westham Road will be closed to cars from 10am until 10pm, access to the harbour area will be restricted, although provisions are being made for visitors with a disability.

“Extra cycle parking will be available and we’ll still have buses running through The Esplanade and taxis going around King’s Statue. We’re encouraging taxis to provide disability transport.”

Hoteliers also heard that the council is working with the ODA to provide local residents with their own park and ride to get them up to Dorchester and into Weymouth town centre and Portland, although no promises could be made.

An estimated 60,000 visitors a day will arrive in the borough by train or park and ride and official volunteers will escort crowds along ‘The Last Mile’ from the transport hub and station to the seafront and Nothe Gardens official ticketed site – with ‘school crossing-style’ patrols on Commercial Road and other main routes.

Drop-in sessions

DON’T miss your chance to find out what’s happening across Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester during the 2012 Games.

A series of drop-in sessions will be held from today, to give locals the opportunity to quiz the various agencies involved in staging the sailing events next summer.

Today, the venue will be the Portland Community 2000 centre in Straits, Easton, noon to 3pm and 4pm to 6.30pm.

Tomorrow it will be the Weymouth Community Safety Centre in Radipole Lane, 12pm to 3pm then 5pm to 8pm.

The last event on Friday, November 25, will be at the Dorford Centre, Dorchester, from noon to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm.