SkyCycle: London’s New Way To Rid The Roads Of Cyclists
CAN it be true? Will cyclists be shunted upstair to a SkyCycle routeway?
SkyCycle will be 10 routes running from east London to Liverpool Street Station. The 136miles of tracks will cost around £200m. Maybe.Great news, eh? This will means no more cyclists on the roads. No more cyclists running into pedestrians. No more cyclists bashing into your Korean cars and cycling straight through the entire front section without realising. And surely it will mean cyclists being invited to pay to use the facility? Road users rejoice! No longer will you be remonstrating with a cyclist wearing headphones. He’s been tamed.
The one problem is that cyclists could get bored with only other cyclists around them for company. No squirrels. No cars to beat at the lights. No red lights to race. And the very real danger of yelling abuse at someone and then having them catch you up.
Sir Norman Foster has been working with Exterior Architecture and Space Syntax on the concept since 2012 on the project. He’s excited: “I believe that cities where you can walk or cycle rather than drive are more congenial places in which to live,” he said. “To improve the quality of life for all in London and to encourage a new generation of cyclists, we have to make it safe. However, the greatest barrier to segregating cars and cyclists is the physical constraint of London’s streets, where space is already at a premium. SkyCycle is a lateral approach to finding space in a congested city. By using the corridors above the suburban railways, we could create a world-class network of safe, car free cycle routes that are ideally located for commuters.”
Sam Martin and Oli Clark, of Exterior Architecture, says: “It’s an elevated cycle way, only for cyclists, that would follow the existing geography of the overland railways. The cycle way could be clipped on to the bridges and viaducts, or sometimes be constructed on the embankment or siding. It would make its way around London in a sinuous fashion.”
Boris Johnson, the London mayor, is in favour, saying: “It’s like ET flying to the Moon, flying over London.”
Great stuff.
Now: plan 2: traffic lights for people exiting shops.
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE CYCLE LANES?
Posted: 30th, December 2013 | In: Reviews Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
