London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill

My noble friend is bound to accept that we seek to create some temporary improvement in transport related to the location of the games so that people can enjoy the experience. The moment that proposition is put forward, whether we envisage the whole British Isles within that framework or just three miles of road from, say, King’s Cross to Stratford—if that is the right mileage—we will still need to have this clause in this Bill. My noble friend says that it is interesting that I should go into considerable detail over what is proposed but, for the purposes of the Bill, the most marginal improvements would require powers, and we have those powers. If he said, ““But of course that would greatly affect my judgment on whether or not I accept the Bill””, that would place me in a very difficult position if I was to describe with great accuracy what is to be negotiated, developed, worked upon, thought through and considered over the next six years. I am not going to be able to do anything other than express some general points. We expect that in London the route will be approximately 240 kilometres, or 150 miles, in length, largely on roads operated by Transport for London. So a considerable number of roads will be involved. We also expect that small elements of the route will be around Weymouth, where the sailing is to take place. The network will consist of about 100 kilometres, or 60 miles, of dedicated Olympic lanes, which will ensure that the athletes get to their venues on time. That is a requirement of the bid. You cannot run an efficient games if you cannot guarantee that the athletes will get to the places where they are supposed to be. The Olympic lanes will be clearly marked in the same way as bus lanes. They will be implemented only where there is sufficient road space and so will not take out a complete road. We do not expect any of these arrangements to operate 24 hours a day because the Olympic Games are not that kind of function. I could go on at great length because the concept behind the route was part of the bid. For a city as complex as London, the promises that were given on the strategy to be adopted for transport were part of the winning bid. We should delight in that. But I do not think that this Committee is the place for me to deal with that in detail. I am merely seeking to get this clause through. It provides the necessary powers that all Members of the Committee are agreed about. I hope that the noble Lord will forgive me for not going into too much detail at this stage. Clause 11 agreed to. Clause 12 agreed to. Clause 13 [Functions affecting London Olympics]: [Amendment No. 56 not moved.] Clause 13 agreed to. Clause 14 agreed to. Clause 15 [Traffic regulation orders: enforcement]: [Amendment No. 57 not moved.] Clause 15 agreed to. Clause 16 [Road closures]: [Amendment No. 58 not moved.] Clause 16 agreed to. Clauses 17 and 18 agreed to.