Don't drive to work, Olympic workers told

The UK's Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will actively encourage site workers not to drive to the Olympic Park under a set of commitments to the local community outlined today.

The move is part of 10 commitments aimed at minimising disruption to the local community as construction work gears up on the 2012 site. Others include recycling materials on site, a 24-hour “construction hotline” to a community relations team, and promoting local employment on the Olympic Park.

David Higgins, chief executive of the ODA, said: “The Games will deliver many positive benefits to the local community, some are already being realised with jobs and business opportunities. A fifth of workers on site live locally to the Olympic Park.

“We also want to ensure we are a good neighbour and that the park is a safe and secure environment for both workers on site and the local community living close by.”

The full list of commitments is:

• In order to reduce private car use, actively encourage the workforce to use alternative transport modes to travel to the Olympic Park
• Operate a free phone construction hotline 24 hours a day, providing a direct line through to the community relations team.
• Actively manage deliveries to site, by providing dedicated times and routes to the Olympic Park
• Continue to communicate to local residents about progress on site and implement an active community engagement programme
• Be a responsible neighbour, actively encouraging staff to be respectful and accountable for their actions at all times
• Actively manage and mitigate the impacts of the construction project by implementing an environmental management programme
• Actively promote local employment and training opportunities on the Olympic Park
• Actively promote and provide mechanisms to communicate opportunities for local businesses
• Actively recycle, reduce and reuse materials on the site to minimise waste

Provide a safe and secure environment across the Olympic Park.