'Skycycle' - Proposed £220m cycle lanes above the railways of London

[skyscraper101]

Crap / not crap etc?

Looks pretty cool if nothing else. A part solution to the daily battle of cyclists, cars and trucks on London roads? I don't don't know how feasible it really is but apparently it would take about 20 years to build. What do you all think?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25549789

 

[Ax^]

I'd think just maybe that cost projection is a litte on the small side.

 

[clicker]

looks amazing .... how would they fund it?

 

[skyscraper101]

 

[zenie]

Supercool

 

[skyscraper101]

looks amazing .... how would they fund it?

Sponsorship? A la Barclays Cycle hire parhaps?

 

[StoneRoad]

looks amazing .... how would they fund it?

good question !

Did anyone ask the people running railway operations what they think ?
there is no way anything like enough headroom above the ohl !
How about needing crane access for re-railing trains......or work on the track.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Will this happen or go the way of the once proposed canal swim to work lanes?

 

[Crispy]

Complete and utter arse that ignores the realities of both railways and bicycles.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

i vote somewhere between , and

 

[newbie]

civil engineers/architects/planners want to build another 209 hills in London, specially for cyclists.

 

[a_chap]

It'll never happen.

Plus I sure as hell wouldn't want to ride at that height in this wind (points outside to near horizontal rain)

 

[SikhWarrioR]

Partially a good idea but doesnt solve the problems of cyclists wanting to get across or enter central London on traffic free routes if it is just going to follow railway lines and with this government will it get funding properly

 

[Orang Utan]

Can't see it happening.
And they would have to make it suicide proof.
£220 million seems an absurdly low price for such a grand project.
Norman Foster is a cunt and we should not be lining his greedy pockets with public cash.
I work in one of his buildings and it is a shit building with loads of space but none of it usable and loads of stupid impractical features such as door locks on the top of 9 foot doors...

 

[SikhWarrioR]

Can't see it happening.
And they would have to make it suicide proof.
£220 million seems an absurdly low price for such a grand project.
Norman Foster is a cunt and we should not be lining his greedy pockets with public cash.
I work in one of his buildings and it is a shit building with loads of space but none of it usable and loads of stupid impractical features such as door locks on the top of 9 foot doors...[/quote

Is not Stanstead airport terminal building one of norman fosters efforts if so and the rest of his buildings are the same I pity someone who has to work in one

 

[fractionMan]

We'll have hover skateboards soon imo, so why bother.

 

[Orang Utan]

We'll have hover skateboards soon imo, so why bother.

Only one more year to wait!

 

[magneze]

Brilliant idea apart from the practicalities.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I have always thought it would have been brilliant if cycle lanes were laid down alongside railway routes, they are generally pretty flat adn direct. Sadly this would really had to have been done at the time the railways were built to really make it work smoothly.

Sky cycle could be interesting but it also looks incredibly expensive and impractical.
I'd sure as hell use it if it did exist.

I can't see it happening though.

 

[likesfish]

Its cool but stupid if you look into it bit like boris island.
Significatly annoys the "I pay road tax so I should be allowed to kill cyclists lobby" so should be green lighted on that alone

 

[killer b]

We'll have hover skateboards soon imo, so why bother.

the flying cars should reduce road congestion significantly too.

 

[deadringer]

Nice idea but the thought of getting up and down steep hills at junctions? Not for me.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I have always thought it would have been brilliant if cycle lanes were laid down alongside railway routes, they are generally pretty flat adn direct. Sadly this would really had to have been done at the time the railways were built to really make it work smoothly.

The London & Greenwich Railway did construct a 'gas lit, tree lined boulevard' alongside the line, which you had to pay a few pence to walk along.

Resolution Way (was Mechanics Path) in Deptford is one of the few fragments (minus trees and gas lights) that remains-

 

[joustmaster]

its a great idea.
for a few seconds, before you actually think about it.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Also, the map in the opening post is a bit small to see exactly which railway lines they are using, but what about the bridges over railway lines? And any tunnels?

 

[Hocus Eye.]

It is a completely bonkers idea. I suppose it would keep "the wrong kind of snow" off the trains below. It would also need provision for ducting the rainfall down to the ground below. Are there enough Polish plumbers to deal with the maintenance of it? I repeat "bonkers".

 

[Tankus]

Great idea........ Link it to other stuff to spread the cost of the build..... High speed fibre optic data link, removal of ground based charged third rails into safer overhead gantries, cover with solar pannels for wind /weather protection and power generation.

Maybe used to powers ski lift type on ramp at steep junctions

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Significatly annoys the "I pay road tax so I should be allowed to kill cyclists lobby" so should be green lighted on that alone

I hadn't thought of that advantage...

 

[Maurice Picarda]

High speed fibre optic data link

Not really needed in London; there's fibre all over the shop.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

Great idea........ Link it to other stuff to spread the cost of the build..... High speed fibre optic data link, removal of ground based charged third rails into safer overhead gantries, cover with solar pannels for wind /weather protection and power generation.

Maybe used to powers ski lift type on ramp at steep junctions

That makes an already impractical and expensive project into a major engineering and complex folly. You are suggesting a roofed in enclosure suspended above the existing railways.