Dogged in advance of the Olympics by fears of transit paralysis, Lauren Collins discusses how London's public transportation network has been the surprise hit of the Games.
It seems as though London's much maligned temperamental transit system has been a surprising hit of the games, not just with spectators, but with the athletes themselves, who have been spotted on trains showcasing their newly earned Olympic hardware.
According to Collins, "The trendlet got off to a start last week when the Venezuelan fencer
Rubén Limardo beat the Norwegian Bartosz Piasecki to win the individual
épée contest. After the match, still wearing his gold medal around his
neck, he proceeded directly to the Docklands Light Railway."
"Lashinda Demus, the Team U.S.A. hurdler (she won silver on Wednesday
night in the four-hundred metres), has been commuting each day from her
rental apartment to Olympic Park on the 257 bus," notes Collins. 'I simply like riding
on public transport,' she said, according the the Evening Standard, explaining why she'd chosen to forgo the chauffeured BMWs and empty lanes
on offer to members of what is being called 'the Olympic family.' She
continued, 'It's only a couple of stops to where I am staying.'"
Even the superstar USA Men's Basketball team were caught taking the high-speed Javelin train from the Olympic Park into town.
Read the full story: Mind the Gap (and the Gold Medal)
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