Olympic torch relay comes to Surrey

The Olympic torch comes to Surrey for the first time on Tuesday as London 2012 excitement mounts.

Torchbearers will carry the flame on foot through Egham at 3.30pm on 10 July. The procession will start on the A30, near the junction of Cooper’s Hill Lane and then pass through High Street, Station Road and Manorcrofts Road, before being driven in convoy out of Surrey.

There will be temporary rolling road closures enforced by motorcycle police while the procession goes through Egham and roads will be closed to all traffic. Pedestrians will be able to walk alongside the route.

The torch will return to Surrey later in the month on Tuesday 17 July in Felbridge and then on Friday 20 July, the date of an evening celebration at Stoke Park in Guildford. The torch will also be in the Hampton Court area on Friday 27 July.

Along with the torch relay, the county will the host men’s and women’s Olympic road cycling races on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July, as well as the cycling time trials on Wednesday 1 August. Detailed maps of the all the routes are available online at gosurrey.info.

Preparations have been going on for more than two years to ensure the Games in Surrey are a success. Inevitably events on an Olympic scale will cause disruption, which is why residents and businesses are being asked to plan ahead and be prepared.

Extensive road closures and parking restrictions will be in place around the cycle routes from the early hours of the morning on event days. The aim is to reopen most roads three hours after the last race vehicle passes.

With hundreds of thousands of people expected to line the streets to watch the Olympic events in Surrey, getting around will be difficult, which is why people are advised to stay close to their local areas and walk. Even after the event’s finish, the county’s roads and public transport will be very busy for some time as people make their way home.

Newsletters have been sent to residents and businesses within 100 metres of the cycle race and time trial routes to provide people with the information they need to prepare. All that information, plus everything else people in Surrey need to know to prepare for the Games, is available at gosurrey.info.

Helyn Clack, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games, said: “The message is simple – be prepared and plan ahead to enjoy the Olympic Games in Surrey and to minimise the inevitable disruption that staging events of this size will bring.

“Journeys will take longer than usual, roads will be closed and public transport will be busier than usual. We’ve provided all the information people need to plan their journeys and we would urge them to use it.

“The Games have already brought huge economic, cultural and sporting benefits to Surrey and are a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch Olympic history unfold literally on our doorsteps. With some planning and foresight we can all enjoy it.”

Visit www.gosurrey.info for more information on the 2012 Games in Surrey.

ENDS

Media requiring more information can contact Surrey County Council senior media relations officer James Oxley at james.oxley@surreycc.gov.uk.