Greetings, fellow mushrooms of the Olympic city

There are mushrooms in the Olympic city. I don't mean the hallucinogenic kind.

They're you, me, the butcher, the baker, the old lady at the bus stop. They're everywhere.

Yes, we've been fed you know what and kept in the dark by those organizing the 2010 Winter Olympics. Their task is, well, Olympian. It's not easy to move tens of thousands of people around a crowded city for 17 days.

Disclosure is the problem. The Olympic transportation plan has been formulated behind close doors with no public input.

Time is running out and the official transportation plan is neither finished nor properly disclosed to the public. The pressure on the Olympic and Paralympic Transport Team members must be enormous. But they're obviously afraid of being upfront with the public.

Compare this with London where organizers of the 2012 Summer Games have sought public input twice. Yes, twice.

In Vancouver, it's been a case of cultivating mushrooms and putting the cart before the horse. With TransLink's budget woes, horse-drawn carts might just be in the fleet.

Which brings me to the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. It has done what the official authorities have failed to do. That is to publish a detailed list of streets that will be closed or restricted in the first quarter of 2010. See below or visit the Vancouver 24 hours unofficial Google map of the 2010 Winter Olympics so you know what's where when the world comes.

Live near any of these streets? Have something to say? E-mail me: bob.mackin@sunmedia.ca

University of B.C.
-Wesbrook Mall between 16th Ave West and Agronomy Rd.
-Thunderbird Blvd. between East Mall and Wesbrook Mall

Olympic Village:
-1st Ave. from Quebec St., to Wylie St. (plus all the streets running between 1st and 2nd Ave. along this section of 1st Ave.)
-Quebec St. from 1st Ave. to Terminal Ave.
-the portion of the seawall between Quebec St. and Spyglass Pl.

Richmond Olympic Oval:
-roads in and around the venue site of the Richmond Oval at 6111 River Road, possibly including the dyke pathway (this is the extent of the information in the documents)

Britannia Centre:
-several alleys around the Britannia Community Centre (not precisely specified in the documents)

John Hendry Park:
-Victoria Dr. from E 16 St. to Commercial
-E 19 St. from Victoria Dr. to Hull St.

Hastings Park:
-Renfrew St. from McGill St. to Hastings St.
-Kaslo St. from McGill St. to Hastings St.
-the following streets between Kaslo St. and Renfrew St.:
-Eaton St.
-Cambridge St.
-Oxford St.
-Dundas St.
-Triumph St.
-Pandora St.
-Franklin St.

Vancouver Main Media Centre:
-Canada Place Viaduct from Howe St. to Thurlow St.
-Thurlow St. from Canada Place Viaduct to West Cordova St.
-Howe St. from Canada Place Viaduct to West Cordova St.
-Burrard St. from Canada Place Viaduct to West Cordova St.
-West Cordova St. from Thurlow St. to Howe St.
-Waterfront Road from the Cordova Street Ramp, located at the foot of Main Street

GM Place and B.C. Place Stadium:
-Georgia Viaduct from Beatty St. up to and including Gore St. off ramp and Main St. off ramp
-Dunsmuir Viaduct from Beatty St. up to and including Gore St. off ramp and Main St. off ramp
-Beatty St. from Smithe St. to West Georgia St.
-Pacific Blvd. from Nelson St. to Quebec St., including Cambie St. Bridge off ramp
-Expo Blvd. from Smithe St. to Quebec St.
-Griffiths Way from Pacific Blvd. to Expo Blvd.
-Abbott St. from Pacific Blvd. to Expo Blvd.
-Carrall St. from Expo Blvd. through Pacific Blvd. to South end of Carrall St.
-Terry Fox Way from Pacific Blvd. to Expo Blvd.

Beatty Street EasyPark Live Site:
-Georgia St. from Cambie St. to Beatty St.
-Beatty St. from West Georgia St. to Dunsmir St.
-Dunsmir St. from Beatty St. to Cambie St.
-Cambie St. from Dunsmir St. to West Georgia St.

David Lam Park Live Site:
-Pacific Blvd. from Drake St. to Homer St.
-Drake St. from Pacific Blvd to Marinaside Cres.
-Homer St. from Pacific Blvd. to Beach Cres.

Downtown pedestrian corridors:
-Granville St. from Helmcken St. to West Hastings St.
-Robson St. from Beatty St. to Jervis St.
-Hamilton St. from Drake St. to Georgia St.
-Beatty St. from Smithe St. to Dunsmuir St.

Westin Bayshore Hotel:
-Bayshore Drive from Denman St. to Cardero St.
-Cardero St. from Coal Harbour Quay to Hastings St.
-1500 block of Coal Harbour Quay

Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Centre:
-Dinmont Ave. from Midlothan Ave. to Peveril Ave.
-Peveril Ave. from Dinmont Ave. to Ontario St.
-Midlothan Ave. from Ontario St. to Yukon St.
-Ontario St. from Peveril Ave to Midlothan Ave.