With fewer than 20 days to go until the July 27 Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics, you'd imagine that excitement is mounting in the British capital. The government has an upbeat tone as Mayor Boris Johnson boasted that London is more than ready for "the greatest Olympics ever." Olympic buntings are hanging all over the city. Rows of giant flags representing 206 countries flutter over Regent Street.

However, while the Games undoubtedly present a very exciting prospect for those who want to "soak up the atmosphere," many Londoners appear indifferent or worried. Plenty are actually looking to get away.

A survey of over 2,000 UK adults conducted in June by YouGov reveals that nearly one in five Britons is planning to take a holiday during this summer's Olympic Games, either within the UK or abroad.

Paul Rennie, a driving school instructor in London, told the Global Times that the Olympic Games make no difference for him.

Paul plans to take a holiday with his wife to Wales during the Games.

Travel agents are capitalizing on Britons' travel intentions by offering special deals. Some have written guidelines for people to "escape the chaos" and listed the 10 best places to "go in search of sun, sand, peace and quiet."

It seems the capital is not overflowing with confidence about the grand event. Among the most common worries are security risks and transport meltdown.

Excitement and anxiety

A security force of more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel, backed by a huge intelligence operation, will turn the city into a fortress to protect venues, athletes and millions of visitors, according to AFP.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described it as the "biggest and most integrated security operation" in  post-war Britain.

The 553-million-pound ($877 million) operation will watch for a range of scenarios, from "lone wolf" terror strikes to cyber-attacks, organized crime, protests, riots, transport breakdowns and even extreme weather.

The Guardian newspaper put London on a par with Kabul and Baghdad as "Three to avoid this summer," suggesting that people would feel like they were in a war zone instead of a 17-day celebration of friendly rivalry and peaceful competition.

While politicians, the military, and police were keen to display their hardware during a week-long "military exercise" in early May, the decision to place surface-to-air missiles on the rooftops of apartment blocks in east London has angered some residents.

Ahead of the Games, security authorities have assessed the national threat level at "substantial," meaning that an attack is a strong possibility. Fears over security have mounted after a known terror suspect entered the Olympic Park five times in a single day, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday. The revelation comes in a week of heightened tension, which saw six men arrested in London on suspicion of planning a terrorist outrage.

Security threats to the Games are not imaginary, another big question mark looms over the "traffic storm."

A cable car has been strung over the Thames, an athletes' terminal built at Heathrow Airport, but Londoners still fear the Games will bring the city to a traffic meltdown.

Tony Huang, a financial analyst working in the City of London, told the Global Times that he has applied to work from home for some time during the Games to avoid serious delays caused by the "sardine canned crowd."

During the Games, Transport for London, the public body that manages London's transport system, will have to cope with 3 million extra daily journeys on the busiest days of the Games, on top of its usual 12 million.

All extra visitors will add considerable strain on the nerves of the public transport system.

Economic boom or doom?

Another problem is that London is already one of the world's most expensive cities, and the Olympic Games have pushed up living costs further.

"I was upset to learn my tenancy had to be terminated, and it is very difficult to find a reasonably priced apartment during the Games," Alan Johnson, a second year PhD student at University College London, told the Global Times. Johnson lived in a studio in central London at a rate of 180 pounds ($278) per week. But the homeowner has raised the rate to 150 pounds ($232) per night during the Games.

Thousands of Londoners are renting out their spare bedrooms during the Games in the hope of earning a small fortune.

But the rocketing price has also scared tourists away. Hotel wholesaler JacTravel is forecasting that visitor arrivals to London in July will be down by more than 35 percent on 2011, and August to be almost 30 percent down.

UK Inbound, a tourism industry association, conducted a members' survey in early June which found that between May and August 2012 almost half said their tourism bookings were "slightly lower" or "considerably lower" than the year before, (27 percent and 21 percent respectively).

Hotels, travel agents and corporate ticket owners are slashing prices in a last-minute attempt to shift thousands of empty rooms and spare tickets, The Independent newspaper said.

Cameron remains optimistic about the economic impact of the Games. Rather than an "expensive luxury in tough times," he sees the Games as a once in a generation opportunity to showcase Britain as a place to do business. Cameron claimed last week that the London Olympics would add up to $20 billion in economic benefits for the UK over the next four years.

Although British people are skeptical about the potential boost to the economy, the biggest legacy will be the regeneration of a poor, long-neglected corner of East London.