Those ancient Greeks were wiser than we give them credit for. If they were not fighting each other and having wars over women, then they had a lot of young men full of testosterone on their hands. They needed occupying. Thus the Olympic Games were born, perhaps a little simplistic compared to today’s Olympic movement but then as is now, the Olympics are the greatest non wartime movement of people, worldwide, and they do a tremendous amount for the nations involved.
Olympic Cauldron Vancouver (c) C.Perkins
We watched as the Olympic flame was passed to another person, the streets were awash with people to watch something that nearly 12,000 Canadians had done. The Flame had been carried across Canada, the biggest distance it has travelled in the history of the games – 45,000 kms. That’s the biggest distance in the history of the games, from hand to hand, across water, mountain, prairie. Through ice, rain snow and sunshine, the Olympic flame has been carried by children, men, women, or every age and every race. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has got in on the act. Transporting the flame is a dream come true for many, and the co-ordination involved in transporting it is immense.
Transportation is the key to the Olympics, from goods to people to equipment and afterward it needs to be returned to it’s owner. We remember Atlanta and some of the transportation issues that they had, so when BT Tradespace told us we had won their trip to the Games we were thrilled, we were going to get a direct look of how transport impacts on delivery businesses in an Olympic city. We now have the edge over many courier businesses, how many of them have actually took time out to see what delivery issues the Olympics in 2012 is likely to have? Remember, the Olympics courier supplier contracts have already been awarded in 2008, the options that are left for us are as subcontractors to the main supplier.
Vancouver is a modern city, built on a grid like system. London is an organic city and is less grid like and more circular. London will not have the advantages that a grid system has. With the grid layout, blocks can be closed off and the traffic easily diverted around the closed areas. A perfect example of this was the day the Olympic torch was carried through the town. A block was closed, crowds formed, the torch procession passed and the crowd dispersed. 20 minutes delay. Repeat at the next block… in London, it would not be possible to do this.
So delivering the games brings new challenges and new solutions to delivering the Olympics in London 2012. Vancouver has been promoting itself as the green Olympics. The public transport system has geared up to meet the challenge with skytrains and the recently finished Canada line to Aberdeen (Aberdeen, Richmond not Aberdeen Scotland).
Vancouver view (c)S.Arrow
Couriers in the city have also adapted, more cycle and on foot couriers to continue carry on delivering vital documents. They have had to think creatively to get around the traffic restrictions. Businesses have closed in the downtown area, so deliveries have had to take place out of hours. The official courier of the games, Purolator has hybrid vehicles in place and sustainable fuel policies (like us) and has done an excellent job so far.
Some businesses have relocated to outside of the City on a temp basis so they can continue to work as usual - this needs to be considered by London businesses for 2012. The home counties can help businesses with this and rehome them on a temporary basis.
The temporary rehoming of businesses needs to take place the weekend before the games open to enable the couriers to move all the goods to their new locations as well as update their schedules and websites with the new locations. I think it’s safe to say, with foresight you can Olympic proof your business and not let it grind to a standstill.
Delivering the games in 2012? London needs to start planning now, it’s not long.
We are up for it 
and will be encouraging our staff to attend as volunteers and support the games where we can, we may be small but unlike a Juggernaut, we can turn on a dime the Olympics needs flexibilty and creativity, just like it did in Athens all those years ago – some things will never change.
Kevin
Granville Island Harbour view (C)S.Arrow
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