Photo: eon Cole/River Cycleway Consortium/Rex
All the car manufacturers are slowly turning their heads towards efficient motors, as electric cars become more and more popular. But Europe seems to be one step forward of everybody else, as the population riding bicycles increases every year. With bikers representing nearly 25% of rush-hour traffic in the central city, a group of architects has recently presented plans for a £600 million ($956 million) floating pathway designed only for bikes.
With a mayor that is quite the avid biker and with increasing traffic that is already choking the streets, London’s authorities have been considering several plans to encourage the two-wheel riders in the past years. River Cycleway Consortium, a team of architects, artists and engineers formed to promote the development of better cycling links in UK’s capital city, has recently presented their plan to reduce or even completely solve the problem.
The futuristic-looking bikeway would hug the south bank of the Thames river between Battersea and Canary Wharf, with the midpoint at Millennium Bridge. Designed for a 8 mile (12 km) stretch, the cycleway would run close to the south bank of the river- away from the main water navigation channel. According to its creators, the pathway would provide a car-free route that would make crossing the city a lot faster.
What could make for its most interesting feature, if you ask us, it’s that the bikeway would rise and fall with the Thames’s tides and solar, while tidal and wind energy would supply power for lighting and other needs. The almost $1 billion project is only one of the many ambitious projects who authorities in London are currently discussing in an effort to find the right solution to the city’s traffic problem.
Besides the project in question, London’s mayor Boris Johnson, who is also an avid cyclist, is already pushing for a “cycling revolution” in the city. As we speak, a 21 miles (33 km) of bike paths that would be almost completely car-free is also in development.
The futuristic-looking bikeway would hug the south bank of the Thames river between Battersea and Canary Wharf, with the midpoint at Millennium Bridge. Designed for a 8 mile (12 km) stretch, the cycleway would run close to the south bank of the river- away from the main water navigation channel. According to its creators, the pathway would provide a car-free route that would make crossing the city a lot faster.
12,000 bikers would ride the floating bikeway per hour
From one end to the other, the journey would take half an our less than if the bikers with take the city streets instead. Architects claim the bikeway could accommodate over 12,000 bicycles per hour and it could be completed in as little as two years. According to BBC, the decway would feature access ramps and refreshment kiosks, as well as on-board sensors that, via satellite, would relay data to bikers about things such as traffic density and flow, as well as river and weather condition.What could make for its most interesting feature, if you ask us, it’s that the bikeway would rise and fall with the Thames’s tides and solar, while tidal and wind energy would supply power for lighting and other needs. The almost $1 billion project is only one of the many ambitious projects who authorities in London are currently discussing in an effort to find the right solution to the city’s traffic problem.
London is going through a "cycling revolution"
Safe biking has become quite the problem, with the number of cycling casualties reportedly rising by 50% between 2006 and 2011. Besides the obvious environmental and air pollution issues, records claim London is also facing a continuous growth of population, expected to reach 12% in the next decade.Besides the project in question, London’s mayor Boris Johnson, who is also an avid cyclist, is already pushing for a “cycling revolution” in the city. As we speak, a 21 miles (33 km) of bike paths that would be almost completely car-free is also in development.
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