Yodel announces Olympic contingency plans
As the countdown continues to the London Olympics, Yodel, the UK’s largest parcel delivery company, has announced how it plans to maintain an effective service during the biggest sporting event in the world.
As part of its contingency plans the retail delivery specialist is advising clients of the postcodes expected to experience delays, so that they can advise consumers at the time of order.
Yodel's Olympic delivery team has been liaising with and feeding in to all the relevant authorities and sponsors of the Games including Transport for London (TfL) and The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) for over a year, to assess and manage the potential impact on its operation, and provide clients with the best possible service throughout the summer of 2012.
The detailed analysis of affected routes and resulting contingency plan for Yodel's consumer and retail deliveries and commercial collections, covers the 120 day period which includes the Queen's Golden Jubilee, Festival 2012, Olympic torch relay route, Olympics and Paralympics.
TfL's Olympics Route Network (ORN), which will be active from the 25th July until the 14th August, and the Paralympics Route Network (PRN), operating between the 27th August and 11th September, cover 2.6% of London's roads and will involve a wide range of traffic measures including signal modifications, waiting and loading restrictions, dedicated Games Lanes, vehicle check points, and restricted turns and a strict ban on road works throughout the Games.
Yodel's plan also takes into account the 11 sporting venues outside London, 20 live screening sites around the country and the route of the Olympic torch, which will pass within 10 miles of 95% of people in the UK.
Following its detailed analysis the company has developed contingency plans and is now carrying out scenario testing. Yodel has also created its very own "Yodel Olympic Village HQ" at its Vauxhall Service Centre in the heart of central London.
During the key period between the opening and closing of the Olympic Village (15 July - 14 September) Yodel will be providing clients with daily updates on service, traffic congestion and postcode hot spots.
Marija Simovic, COO of Yodel said: "This is a summer of celebration in Britain, from the Queen's Jubilee in June through to closure of the Olympic Park in September. There is a great deal of excitement in the run up to the Games and we've been planning well in advance to ensure that our deliveries run smoothly for our clients and their customers throughout this period."