What cyclist doesn't wish they could travel a city unencumbered by cars? London's solution may be an elevated bike-only highway called SkyCycle. Connecting at train stations, SkyCycle access would require a small fee, but allow bikes the safety and speed of commuting without vehicles or pedestrians. The project is not yet approved, and would likely take 2 years to be constructed.
In other news, a sofa that looks like a jelly roll, and a printer that turns your phone photos into Polaroids. See the headlines after the jump.
• A Network Of Elevated Bike Lanes For London | Co.Exist
• A Sofa Shaped Like A Jelly Roll? Sure, Why Not | Co.Design
• Kickstarting: A Portable Printer That Turns Phone Pics Into Polaroids | Co.Design
(Image: via Co.Exist)
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"Martin is in talks with London Mayor Boris Johnson. No concrete plans have been announced, but a network of raised bike lanes seems like the logical next step for a city committed to cyclists that’s simply running out of room on regular roads."
A quote from the bike lane article. It's just a dream of an architect. They're tubes to allow you to bike between subway/underground stations. Sort of like the subsurface tubes that allow you to take trains between the stations. This won't happen.
And you know this how?
In Minneapolis, they have what I call 'habit trails' that are connectors or skyways that connect building to building so folks don't have to walk in the snow come winter. Within those connectors are barbers, eateries and such. I don't understand why TERRY thinks this won't happen because it's doable.
Why should the city build elevated tubes for bicycles? Let's talk through some of this. Tubes go between underground stations without allowing bikers to exit in between. Why build tubes that replicate the exact paths of the trains? The London underground allows bikes on the trains. You could take the subway if you need to go between stations. If you need to go anywhere in between stations, you'll be pedaling in the street as you would anyway. The tubes are raised. They're going to disrupt viewscapes in the city. People in charming or historic neighborhoods are going to have what essentially looks like an upscale, human sized Habitrail running over their heads. Historical commissions and neighborhood governments or associations are going to go bonkers over this.
The bottom line is this. The proposed tube system doesn't solve or reduce the problem of bikes having to share the road with cars. All it does it duplicate the alternative of taking the subway/underground. You still have to pedal your bike on the roadways within neighborhoods, as you do now.
This gives an entirely new dimension to "pipe dreams"!
The cyclists where I live are so aggressive that I cannot see them cooperating well enough with one another to use a tube system like this. There would be collisions, for sure -- cyclists passing each other and cycling "salmon" style just to be contrary. It's a nice dream, though.
While dedicated bike tubes may seem at first like a good idea, it is going to lead to additional problems. When I ride my bike and I am near a bike trail but not on it due to the direction I am heading, I often hear people yell at me and intimidate me to get on the trail. The trail only takes me to a certain point, then I need to leave the trail and get to my destination on the roads. I think this would make drivers feel even more entitled to the road and thereby make it more dangerous for cyclists who need to use the road.
I live in London and this is so never going to happen.