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What are the basic necessities to make the Olympic games a success? First and foremost what is needed is good infrastructure, in the form of the sport’s grounds, stadiums and of course transport facilities to get to the relevant venue. London may be building all the right sport’s facilities but the chances of getting to your hotel without damaging your health are very slight due to the third-world transport system.

Heathrow is one the busiest airports in Europe and perhaps in the world, but unfortunately it is also one of the least user-friendly for some of the following reasons. First, the newly built terminal 5 seems to bear more resemblance to a maze, than a well thought-out project. In order to get to the Baggage claim area one has to go up and down escalators. Were the designers imitating the famous English nursery rhyme about the Grand Old Duke of York who “when he was up he was up, and when he was down he was down …” Going through passport control also involves going up and down escalators, but all this is nothing in comparison to what happens beyond the airport, which is when the real problems begin.

The people who designed Heathrow airport did remember that the travellers journey does not end there. The tourist has to be got into London somehow. And so to this end bus and train services were provided and the Heathrow Connection or Express, while being fairly expensive, are efficient. They take you to various parts of London where you can get transport on to wherever you want to go – either in or out of London. One example of a place you can take the train to directly from Heathrow is Ealing Broadway. From this busy station you can get to Oxford or Reading or Paddington or the Central or District tube lines. It has nine platforms — but no elevators or escalators! Hence all those tired tourists have to carry their suitcases up and down stairs to get themselves on the correct platform for the continuation of their marathon journey, where life is no easier. There is a very pleasant Holiday Inn Hotel in Acton. The hotel is just one of many that are acknowledged resorts for the Olympic Games. And the hotel deserves to be recommended, but unfortunately what no one will tell you is that when you arrive in Acton with your luggage, you will be faced by more stairs. And as you struggle to get your luggage to the top of them you wonder if the British are still in the days of the Empire when there were servants to manage these tasks. They are certainly not in the 21st century – probably not even the 20th – when tourists expect to be able to get their luggage to their hotel without suffering from physical damage!

In fact only 62 underground stations out of 270 in London have facilities for the disabled, meaning elevators, which is also what mothers with strollers and people with luggage need. This 20% is in direct contrast to 50% in Toronto, a city which aims to ensure all their stations will be accessible to the handicapped by the year 2020. Of course many of the stations in London are much older than those in Canada and it is difficult to build elevators, however, escalators are a different issue. Mothers with strollers and people with luggage can manage on escalators, and they are not that expensive to put in. Moreover, there is absolutely no reason why a simple ramp cannot be provided in some stations where there are only a few stairs.

The lack of facilities in London are in fact against the European Union Laws, and even those of the British Government who own the stations. It is ironic that these government run stations have to pay a fine every year for breaking their own laws. But the bottom line is that this
fine is cheaper than financing elevators. But that is only in the short term. After paying fines for a few years the authorities will have paid out almost the same amount that the renovations would have cost. The fact that the short term is all that is considered is not just a matter of foolishness it is an attitude that shows there is a lack of care for the vulnerable in society. The disabled, women with strollers, even tourists, these people don’t matter since their voting power is weak or non-existent.

Which brings us back to the Olympic Games. The country that has the Olympic Games is also the venue for the Paralympic Games (composed of athletes with either physical or mobility disabilities), and there is no way that the London transport system can provide for their needs. So what will happen? It is most likely that special transport will be provided at great expense to the taxpayer. London will be hailed for that and the real problem will not be addressed. So all I can do is warn all tourists with back problems to avoid London, or save up. You will either need to spend a fortune on taxis (porters are not an option in small places like Acton) or on a orthopedist after your holiday!

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