ORGANISERS of the London 2012 Olympics have some travel advice for the millions of people who work and live in London: Be patient. Have a beer. Telecommute.Rejecting suggestions of possible transport chaos during the July 27 to August 12 Games, they unveiled an 8.8 million ($13.3 million) campaign yesterday to persuade city residents to change their travel patterns to ease the strain on public transport.Even as London Mayor, Boris Johnson, tried to focus attention on the positives, transport officials had to bat back demands by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union for more money. Union officials say the subway members of staff are not being offered enough in compensation for working more hours and erratic schedules during the Summer Olympics.The fresh union demands came just moments before London transport officials unveiled posters, signs and banners to make travelers aware of how to handle transport issues during the Games. Johnson directed his remarks at what he called 'Olympo-skeptics.''They predict that tumbleweed will be going down Shaftesbury Avenue,' Johnson said, referring to a main London thoroughfare. 'They are completely wrong and mistaken and missing a huge opportunity to profit.'London transport officials have been at pains in recent weeks to downplay concerns about whether the city's aging transportation system could handle the extra traffic from tourists, spectators and others expected to use the network.Officials point to a 6.5 billion ($10.2 billion) investment in the transport system. They say train journeys are faster and note that many more trains will run - and that some will even have air conditioning - during the Games. If office workers do things as simple as stopping and have a beer on their way home, it will spread out the rush-hour demands, they assert.No recommendations - alcoholic or otherwise - were made for the morning commute. Businesses have been asked to consider whether London workers could telecommute or have more flexible working hours. The trouble is that even on regular days, London struggles with constraints on the Tube, an aging system that handles 12 million trips a day.The Olympics is estimated to add three million trips on busy days. Keeping the system running smoothly is predicated on the notion that locals will rearrange their schedules, change travel patterns and adjust their lives to accommodate these.
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