please empty your brain below
We still have duo's of Police pounding the beat up and down our little backstreet's here on Fish Island which I am very happy with, and the temporary ban of vehicles turning right into the Shell Petrol Station in Wick Lane is still in force but many drivers are blatantly ignoring it and nipping onto the forecourt via the wrong side of a Central Island barrier oblivious of the new traffic enforcement camera that will in time issue them with a heavy fine, I also noticed yesterday that some sort of high wire has been attached from the Orbit across into the main Stadium, just what is planned there I have no idea.

fishislandskin | 18.08.12 - 7:23 a.m. | #

...the only traffic lights I meet on my once a week journey into the Olympic zone are still switched on Olympics mode which adds 15 minutes to the journey still. Maybe they'll just leave them like that for ever as part of the legacy.

NiC | Homepage | 18.08.12 - 7:50 a.m. | #

Are they going to re-paint the symbols painted on the Zil Lanes?

timbo | 18.08.12 - 9:16 a.m. | #

The relaxed Sunday trading hours are, unfortunately, probably one of the best things to come out of the Olympics from the point of view of Joe Public... now, when I pop to the local shop (open until 10pm every Sunday) I can actually wander up and down every aisle to get the things I need. Turn up at 5pm normally, and I hope you don't need Soap Powder, or any desert type thing as those aisles get blocked off.

The quantity of people I saw in a largish chain supermarket last Sunday justifies, quite easily, keeping the relaxed rules.

Colin | 18.08.12 - 9:30 a.m. | #

I've still seen a few Games Makers dotted about - not nearly the number I saw on my commute during the Games, of course, but I was surprised to see any, so yes, I'm sure there is still stuff going on, which is good to know. Because it does all feel a bit flat, a bit, "Did that really happen?"

I started a new job on the first Monday of the Olympics, so didn't know how the Games affected my commute, having nothing to compare it to. I can confidently say now that my commute is *worse* now than when the Games were on. Busier, plus many fewer excited, smiling tourists. :-(

Luckily, the new job's with a sponsor *cough* so we've got plenty going on, including visits from Olympians and countdown clocks to the Paralympics, to keep the dream alive during the Hiatus. :-)

mighty mouse | 18.08.12 - 9:39 a.m. | #

I did wonder how many of the Olympic rings on all the signs on the underground etc. are going to be replaced with the agitos. Are they going to do them all, none, or leave a bizarre mish-mash?

John Styles | 18.08.12 - 1:40 p.m. | #

Given the number of tickets sold for the Paralympics it could be as crowded for some days as the busy middle Olympic weekend at the Olympic Park. A lot of the games are concentrated in the Olympic Park with no Wimbledon or Lords and there is also now a new Eton Manor venue. I hope it going to be easy for disabled people to get around the park and there are enough accesible vehicles as it got very crowded on the middle week of the Olympics.Also it will be interesting to see how the Day Passes work out. Get there early at the basketball arena to get the lower seats. If you arrive late you could have a long climb.

KissenMe | 18.08.12 - 4:33 p.m. | #

I think the original plan for the signs on the underground was for the sign to have the Paralympic logo on the bottom layer, and an Olympic logo stuck on top - thus when it got to Transition, they could just peel off one layer. I'm not sure if this actually happened, though.

I still find it funny how in January there was a big fuss about how the Sunday Trading Act would mean that the Olympic Megastore wouldn't be able to open while the Closing Ceremony was going on - but then there was absolutely no mention of this when it was announced that the rules would be temporarily relaxed.

martin | 18.08.12 - 5:24 p.m. | #

I suppose longer shop opening hours are good for shoppers, who have more choice of when to spend their limited money. Bad for shop owners who can only get the same takings but with higher overheads.

RogerB | 18.08.12 - 10:15 p.m. | #

Early in the week - already by Monday afternoon I think - they'd replaced most of the Olympic logos by Paralympic ones at Canada Water. I don't see the point personally. Who's going to be saying "Oh no, the Olympic Park for the Olympics? I wanted the Olympic Park for the Paralympics!"

Jim | 19.08.12 - 1:18 a.m. | #

@ RogerB, shoppers may spend more in shops when they have the opportunity, they could decide to shop instead of spending on eg entertainment, holidays or even leaving the money in the bank/under the mattress. so longer opening hours could result in more profits for shopkeepers, even after extra wages are paid

amber | 19.08.12 - 6:29 a.m. | #

@KissenMe: I'm also curious as to how the day passes will work out, particularly how many of the things they have sold. Maybe they are counting on some day pass holders to be doing other things in the park (or ExCeL) than in a venue, and so I wonder if the total number of day passes (and tickets that include day passes) exceeds the combined capacity of the day pass venues?

I have day passes for the Olympic Park and for ExCeL, and have no idea whether I'll be cramming my day with end to end sport, or having to queue ages to squeeze into the odd session because it is so crowded.

Darren | 20.08.12 - 9:19 a.m. | #

Working in a large department store I can agree with Roger, at least in my dept we aren't seeing huge amounts of extra cash takings on a Sunday, just less of a rush between 5-6 as customers are spread out between 5-7pm instead. Mornings aren't worth the extra hours on a Sunday and the 8-9pm isn't busy either.
As a retail employee is is nice knowing that Sundays normally have an earlier finish but I wouldn't be against allowing stores to open to 7pm rather than 6 on a Sunday

Jon M | 20.08.12 - 9:21 a.m. | #

I've noticed that the missiles have disappeared from Blackheath. Have they gone from the East End?

If they have it rather implies that a) the authorities don't mind planes flying into gatherings for the Paralympics or b) the whole missile thing was a waste of time and money.

Chris | 20.08.12 - 9:31 a.m. | #

You can't say the missiles were a waste of resources because they were not fired. Most of us will presume so, but we'll never know: no foreign powers invaded during the games, did they? Indeed, it feels like we invaded our own country.

BJ | 20.08.12 - 9:28 p.m. | #











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