The International Olympic Committee expressed growing concern yesterday about the slow pace in Athens of building sites for competition, roads and housing in time for the 2004 Summer Games.
There will be three types of Olympic cycling competitions: road (a road race and a time trial for men and the same for women), track (eight events on a steeply banked oval for men, and four for women) and mountain bike (one cross-country race for men and one for women).
The aim was to update, clarify, and, above all, simplify, the existing rules in the area of driving times and resting times, with a view to establishing fair competition among road hauliers, traffic safety and guaranteeing the social interests of the people who work in the road transport sector.
Road and track races for men were held at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896; women entered Olympic competition in road races in 1984 and track races in 1988.
It will not be easy: competition for road space is particularly intense here.
Public transport would be likely to improve, since it would get more money and would have less competition for road space.
Rail transport has played a crucial role in the Australian economy, but most systems have suffered in competition with road and air services.
In competition with road and rail transport, most of the towns such as Sawara, Sekiyado, Noda, and Nagareyama lost their function as ports.
To meet competition from road haulage, with its greater flexibility and higher speeds, water transport must find its solution in its capacity for larger units, thus necessitating the enlargement of channels and locks.
Freight traffic has declined, partly because of fallen demand for products such as coal, iron, and oil, traditionally carried by rail, and partly because of intense competition from road haulers.
