TOKYO (AP) -- Organizers of the Sydney Olympics have taken steps to avert the transit problems that plagued the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, the president of the Sydney organizing committee said Wednesday.

  Michael Knight, who is also Australia's Olympics Minister, said that contingency plans such as extra buses and communication systems for stranded passengers have been set up in case of transportation breakdowns.

  "We think we have the best chance of recent Olympic Games to get the transport right," Knight said.

  Knight cited Sydney's ban on private parking at Olympic sites, 24-hour train services and a new rail line that runs to the main Olympic park as examples of efforts to prevent traffic jams.

  "It is prudent to have contingency plans ... and that's precisely what we're doing," he said.

  The Atlanta Games were marred by traffic, computer problems and scheduling mix-ups.