Who remembers the Sky Cycle project that hit headlines a while back? It involved putting cycle lanes up in the sky above London's railway tracks, and was heralded as a brave new solution to the capital's transport congestion. With some big names like Norman Foster's architecture firm on board, it sounded like this incredible project might actually happen. Then things went a little quiet…
So we caught up with Sam Martin, an architect who’s one of the key figures behind the project, to see what’s going on. "We’re waiting for and trying to establish some form of dialogue with developers and investors, who might wish to take a bit of a punt and research how it could be made into reality," says Martin.
"The time’s pretty good right now with a new mayor just appointed for London. I’m told he’s aware of the concept, and I know his feelings on housing and the affordability of the city are in line with what Sky Cycle is about, so it’s a reasonable time to start the conversation again with City Hall."
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220km route
But let’s back up a bit – what would the network look like? How would it work? Well, after being allowed into the inner sanctum of Network Rail and looking at its plans and technical data, the partners behind it – Foster + Partners, Exterior Architecture and network analysts Space Syntax – have designed a 220km route that’s orbital around London, with 220 access points.
The clever bit is how people get onto the network: the access points would double up as residential developments, which is hoped to draw in private investors and property developers. Network Rail has already given its blessing to develop on land it owns for the project.
Sky Cycle project: cost
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