Sections of London’s Olympic Games lanes came into effect on Monday 16th July, giving the capital’s drivers a taste of what may lie ahead over the coming weeks. The section of motorway between Heathrow Airport in the west and Central London has often been affected by heavy traffic, but the risk of a big jam has gone up considerably following the decision to dedicate a lane for people in the ‘Olympic Family’ – athletes, organisers and sponsors.
And in fact the risk of large scale congestion became a reality on Monday, as an accident caused a 32 mile tailback. So it seems that the sanity of London drivers will be tested to the limits over the coming weeks, as they sit in miles of queues in order to save London’s – and Locog’s – face, by showing we can at last get the athletes to the Olympic Village.
Of course, terrible weather and problems with security mean the Games’ organisers already have a great deal to contend with, without Olympic athletes getting stuck on the road from the airport. But it does highlight how easily crippled London roads can get, and those who are not allowed to use the Olympic Games lanes will see the very worst of it. Anyone tempted to hot-foot it on the new lanes will face a £130 fine. Some will see it as a small price to pay.
With luck, we won’t be seeing too many vehicles from car breakdown operators on the roads around London – because just a single breakdown may cause complete gridlock.
Breakdown Cover from 
