Olympic / Paralympics Delivery Disruption Advice
Due to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games there is expected to be major disruption to delivery services due to the major impact on the road networks surrounding and leading up to all the official venues. This means that deliveries to or near any of the Olympic routes may be delayed. Delays of deliveries can be expected between the 9th July and the 10th September.
The biggest impact of the Games will be felt in and around competition venues and across central London, where Games competitions, Live Sites and planned parallel events will affect the surrounding areas. There are 37 competition venues across the country, of which 27 are in London. This means that most businesses operating in and around London will be affected by the Games to some extent.
While most of the disruption will be in these areas, we have been advised to expect effects across the whole country with deliveries from Royal Mail, our couriers (DPD, Interlink, ParcelForce) being affected.
More information about the dates and locations of the various events can be found here, and information about each venue can be found here.
The postcodes known to be affected are shown below :-
| Area |
Postcode |
| DT |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| E |
1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20 |
| EC |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
| HA |
9 |
| IG |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 |
| N |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22 |
| NW |
1, 8, 10 |
| RM |
8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
| SE |
1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18 |
| SL |
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 |
| SW |
3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 |
| SW |
SW1-A, E, H, P, V, W, X, Y |
| TW |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Heathrow), 7, 8 |
| UB |
7 (Heathrow) |
| W |
1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14 |
| WC |
1, 2 |
A detailed PDF showing the postcodes and expected delays can be found here.
Lockdown Venues
A lockdown venue is a secure Olympic site where, for security reasons, normal access is strictly controlled. There are 49 lockdown venues in London and at other Olympic venues; they include everything from the main Olympic stadium to hotels used by officials.
Access for parcel delivery has been exclusively granted to the official logistics supplier, UPS. All parcels delivered by UPS into these sites will be subject to the UPS delivery charge and a security surcharge.
Please note that UPS have committed to delivering all parcels to lockdown venues within 24 hours of receiving them from us.
A list of lockdown venues can be viewed by clicking here.
Deliveries into lockdown venues
All deliveries made to 'lockdown venues' will be security screened and delivered by UPS. These parcel deliveries will incur a surcharge of £25 + VAT per parcel. These are the rates charged by UPS, and we will simply pass them on.
Olympics and Paralympics 2012: Reasons for disruption
The following list will help you to understand the full extent of the disruption to collections and deliveries:
- There will undoubtedly be congestion in and around all 24 London venues
- The Olympic Route Network is 109 miles in length and incorporates the main thoroughfare through London
- The road events themselves, of which there are 10, such as the marathon, will include a number of road closures from the day before and day of the event
- Increased security at all venues will incorporate a number of road restrictions
- Athletes will need to travel to and from all venues
- There will be Park & Ride traffic
- There is no parking for spectators at the venues
- Parking restrictions will be in place around the venues, affecting 290,000 homes
- During the games 200,000 members of the Olympic family (athletes, coaches, officials and technicians) will require transport to and from the venues daily
- There will be suspensions of numerous parking and waiting bays
- Games Lanes, which will be reserved for VIP traffic, will be created
- Numerous right hand turns will be taken out of the traffic system
Timeline of events
| Key Date |
Activity |
End of April
|
DPD London Olympic Games 2012 communication to customers and other stakeholders
|
| April to June |
Transport for London tests routes and the impact of road closures
|
| 19 May to 27 July |
Torch Relay takes place throughout UK |
| Throughout June |
Simulation of new routes and delivery schedules to further understand the impact on our deliveries and collections |
| 2 to 5 June |
Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations including concert at Buckingham Palace |
| Mid-June to mid-September |
Period of likely disruption to DPD services
|
| 13 July |
Olympic Village opens |
| 27 July to 12 August |
Olympic Games |
3 August
|
Expected to be the busiest day, with all venues active |
| 13 August to 28 August |
Transition period with certain areas still locked down |
| 29 August to 9 September |
Paralympic Games |
|
