SkyCycle: The Future of london Cycling

The creator of the St Mary Axe (more commonly known as the Gherkin) and the new Wembley Stadium (Lord Foster) has revealed his new plans for the future of London’s cyclists.

The new structure named SkyCycle will consist of a 135 mile network of cycle paths that will tower three story’s high and run above the existing suburban rail lines of London.

The new cycle pathways will be able to be accessed from over 200 different points throughout the city. The first piece of the network to be constructed will be a four mile pathway from East London to Liverpool Street Station and will cost a whopping £220 million.

Developers have claimed that nearly 6million people live within the catchment area of the new structure, half of which live/ work within ten minutes of one of the entrances.

Ten routes have been proposed so far and each of these can accommodate up to 12,000 cyclists every hour and can cut journey times down by up to 29 minutes. The structure would be built over a period of 20 years and would actually cost less than building new roads and tunnels at a street level.

Lord Foster was quoted saying, “Cycling is one of my great passions – particularly with a group of friends. And I believe that cities where you can walk or cycle, rather than drive, are more congenial places in which to live. 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.”

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