Major traffic control test starts for Tokyo Games

July 24, 2019

Tokyo--A large-scale trial to control traffic volumes in the Tokyo metropolitan area started on Wednesday to tackle the traffic jams expected during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics period, with one year to go before the quadrennial sporting events.

The trial, led by the Tokyo Games organizing committee, covers major highways in Tokyo and neighboring areas, including the Metropolitan Expressway.

A 24-hour closure started at midnight Tuesday (3 p.m. GMT) for four entry ramps to the Metropolitan Expressway near the athletes' village and competition venues, including the Harumi ramp.

During the test, traffic on local roads in the metropolitan area was also restricted between 5 a.m. to noon, including morning rush hour, to curb traffic flows into the center of the capital.

A total of 37 entry ramps to expressways had been closed as of 9:15 a.m., according to the Japan Road Traffic Information Center. At some expressway toll booths, the number of available lanes was reduced.

As a result, a 7-kilometer-long traffic jam had built up on the Joban Expressway at 12:04 p.m., before the Misato toll booth in Saitama Prefecture.

Ahead of the 2020 Games, the organizing committee is calling on companies based near the competition venues and government agencies to adopt staggered working hours to avoid rush hour. It is also asking logistics operators to work together to ease traffic congestion.

In the trial, up to 50 expressway entry ramps will be closed to cut the number of vehicle entries, depending on the degree of congestion.

The trial is set to be conducted again on Friday. Jiji Press