London Olympic Games 'Zil lanes' cause traffic chaos

London opened special lanes for Olympics traffic on Wednesday, causing tailbacks for ordinary drivers and fuelling fears that the transport network is unable to cope with the strain of the Games. The capital's notoriously creaky Underground railway system also experienced severe delays on several lines just two days before the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The controversial Games Lanes — dubbed "Zil Lanes" by sceptical Londoners after lanes once used by the limousines of Soviet leaders — are designed for official vehicles transporting Olympic athletes and officials. A total of 50 kilometres of Games Lanes came into force on Wednesday and unauthorised drivers face a fine of £130 ($201) for using them. Television footage showed a handful of brightly coloured Olympics cars speeding past lines of slow moving traffic. There was an eight-mile tailback on the M4 motorway, the main road linking the capital to Heathrow Airport, the gateway airport for the Games, said Transport for London (TfL), the city's public transport authority. Drivers also faced long delays after the new Games Lanes opened on the A40, the road connecting London to the central city of Birmingham where several countries' teams are staying. Traffic jams built up at key points in central London, including at iconic Tower Bridge -- a taxi driver jumped off the same bridge on Monday in a protest by cabbies after they were banned from using the lanes. Meanwhile, beneath the surface of the city there were severe delays on the Northern Line, a branch of the Underground that connects several Olympic venues including Horse Guards Parade, where the beach volleyball will be held. There were also problems with the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City Lines, TfL said. But air traffic appeared to be running relatively smoothly, despite a threatened strike by border guards at Heathrow on Thursday. Olympics minister Jeremy Hunt said the government had contingency plans in place and said that fears of problems at the airport after queues at immigration earlier in the year were the "dog that didn't bark." But he urged the border officers to come to work, saying: "For an immigration officer... Thursday is one of the biggest days in their professional career."