This summer it won’t be business as usual for the road transport industry.

The world’s biggest sporting event is hitting UK shores on 27 July and bringing with it a host of traffic restrictions and road closures that will result in changes to delivery patterns and the way you normally operate.

If you don’t think the Olympics are going to affect you or your customers, think again.

Even if you don’t have any customers based on the Olympic Route Network (ORN), the surge in demand on London’s already congested roads is going to increase journey times. On top of this the anticipated increase in visitor numbers will affect routes around travel hotspots such as Heathrow, the Dartford Crossing and other major transport gateways.

Olympic events being held outside of London will also attract huge numbers, so making sure you and your transport planners know when and where these are taking place is crucial.

Motor Transport has teamed up with Transport for London (TfL) to host a one-day Summer Freight Planning Conference at Wembley Stadium on 22 March that will answer all your Olympic-related questions.

Route networks

Ian Wainwright, road freight programme manager at TfL, will explain the difference between the core ORN, the Alternative Route Network (ARN), the Paralympic Route Network (PRN) and the specific Olympic venue restrictions so that you know exactly when you can and can’t deliver, and how to manage your customers’ expectations.

Night-time deliveries

The core ORN is operational between 6am and midnight and no stopping will be permitted during these times, which means many haulage firms are going to need to consider out-of-hours deliveries.

Lisa Lavia, MD of the Noise Abatement Society, will be on hand to explain to delegates how to make the switch from daytime to night-time delilveries.

Compliance

Sarah Bell, the traffic commissioner for the Western Traffic Area and the lead TC for the Olympics, will advise delegates on how to apply for temporary changes to their O-licence during the Games.

If you are going to take on additional vehicles or operate at a different time of day this will be crucial information.

Games Action Plan

A team of experts will talk you through and provide you with your very own Games Action Plan on the day. We will also provide you with details of where to go for further information.

For full details and how to book, go to www.summerfreightplanning.co.uk

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