MOTORISTS living next to one of the key junctions on the Olympic Route Network believe that athletes will be delayed by plans to make their journey easier.

All traffic will be banned from joining Redbridge Lane East at the Redbridge Roundabout between midday and midnight on busy days during the Games.

Transport for London (TfL) calculates that athletes travelling on the A406 between The White Water Centre in Waltham Abbey and the Olympic Village in Stratford will save an average of 30 seconds, because traffic will no longer queue on the roundabout to join Redbridge Lane East.

But the Redbridge Roundabout Action Group (RedRag), made up of people living near the junction, believes that TfL has got its figures wrong by relying on desktop exercises.

Alan Haymes, 59, of Ridgeway Gardens in Clayhall is himself an Olympic volunteer.

He said: “We’re not trying to throw a spanner in the works.

“I will be helping out with IT in the athlete’s village during the games and I want things to go smoothly, but this closure is completely unnecessary.

“TfL’s computer model says the closure will make the athletes’ journey easier, but our local knowledge says it will increase congestion, impede the athletes and cause danger to passengers at Redbridge Station."

There is nothing in the plans to stop motorists queuing to use alternative exits at Eastern Avenue and Redbridge Tube Station, and TfL have yet to confirm on what days the exit will be closed.

RedRag member Angela Shea will be volunteering as a transport co-ordinator during the Games, helping athletes get to venues from the Olympic Village.

She said: “TfL don’t seem to have a clue about what this roundabout is really like.

“What they are proposing to do will slow down the Olympic family and everyone else.”

Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “This measure, restricting the exit from Redbridge Roundabout onto Redbridge Lane East, is to prevent vehicles queuing onto the roundabout and blocking the flow of traffic.

“It will be used when there are high volumes of traffic and events on at Lea Valley White Water Centre.

“We aim for it to be in place for as short a time as possible, it will be removed shortly after the Olympic Games and will not be required for the Paralympic Games.”

“Traffic signal modelling was used to assess all of the measures being introduced along the ORN and how they interact with each other along the 109 mile route to ensure reliable journey times for Games vehicles and that we keep London moving."

For more information on RedRag visit www.redrag.info

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