London cycleway project put forward for consideration

Ambitious plans for a floating cyclepath on the Thames have been unveiled at a projected cost of £600 million.

Designed by artist Anna Hill and architect David Nixon of River Cycleway Consortium, the path would be positioned just along the south bank and would stretch for 8 miles between Battersea and Canary Wharf.

The first pictures of the impressive floating cyclepath have recently been released and it shows the deckway with sporadic ramps to access streets, stopping points and kiosks at intervals providing refreshments.  Cyclists would be charged for using The Thames Deckway and it is expected to be a flat rate of £1.50.  

If funding can be secured and a feasibility study proves successful then the project could be up and running within two years. A spokesperson for the River Cycleway Consortium said London needs to “think outside the box” when it comes to planning and designing it’s cycle infrastructure.

There has been some criticism that the cost for this particular project would be 12 times more expensive than cost for two cycle superhighways proposed by Transport for London at only £47 million.  These cycle superhighways would run from Tower Hill to Westbourne Terrace, and from King’s Cross to Elephant and Castle which would result in an 18-mile continuous cycle highway.