SkyCycle was a proposed transport infrastructure project for London of a network of elevated

cycle path A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...

s above train tracks. The routes would have had a width of up to , and be accessed by over 200 ramps throughout the city, subject to a

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic) The road toll was a historical fee charged to travellers and ...

of £1. The developers of the project estimated that the cycle paths would accommodate 400,000 riders during rush hour and shave 30 minutes off current travel time. If the project became a reality, its construction was estimated to take over 20 years. The project was the creation of landscape architects Exterior Architecture and

Space Syntax The term space syntax encompasses a set of theories and techniques for the analysis of spatial configurations. It was conceived by Bill Hillier, Julienne Hanson, and colleagues at The Bartlett, University College London in the late 1970s to ea ...

, with whom Norman Foster of Foster and Partners had been working since 2012. The proposals were welcomed by Network Rail.

History

The idea for the project originated in 2011 with Sam Martin, the director of Exterior Architecture, and his employee Oli Clark. Clark had proposed a network of elevated cycle routes around Battersea Power Station for his student dissertation. Following email communication with the office of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Clark and Martin had a meeting with

Isabel Dedring Isabel Margaret Dedring (born 10 August 1971) is a British politician. In 2016 she was appointed Global Transport Leader at Arup. Previously, Dedring served as the Mayor of London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, and the former Environment Advisor ...

, the Deputy Mayor for Transport, incidentally encountering Johnson himself on their way to it, who was enthusiastic upon being told about the project. Dedring then arranged meetings with Dave Ward, the executive director of Network Rail. Dedring and Ward suggested that the group design an initial phase of the network, following the route of the

Great Eastern Main Line The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...

between

Stratford station Stratford is a major multi-level railway station which rates as the 5th busiest station in Britain, serving the district of Stratford and the mixed-use development known as Stratford City, in the London Borough of Newham, east London. It is s ...

and

Liverpool Street station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...

. Martin approached Foster and Partners for planning assistance. The group estimated the cost of the first phase as £220 million, and the cost of the entire project between £7 and 8 billion. In October 2012, the proposal was rejected by Johnson, following a meeting of representatives of Network Rail and Transport for London, who had expressed concerns that estimated costs for the project had not been fully worked out and that London did not have sufficient railway capacity to build on. In 2014 the developers were said to be seeking funds for a feasibility study.

Reception

The cycling charity CTC expressed concern over the wind exposure that riders would face when using SkyCycle, as well as the steepness of the ramps. '' Wired'' called the project "amazing". ArchDaily said the project would divert resources away from more important projects and have some negative consequences. BBC News called it a "radical solution to protect cyclists".

References

External links

SkyCycle
at Space Syntax * *{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106034532/http://www.fosterandpartners.com/news/skycycle-proposals-to-create-safe-new-cycle-routes-throughout-london, date=6 January 2014, title=SkyCycle at Foster and Partners Cycling in London Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank Unbuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom Proposed transport infrastructure in London

History

Reception

See also

References

External links