Cable Car for London

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marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
I'm amazed at how people dislike the Rotherhithe tunnel - it's fun on a bike, and I've no idea why people find it scary. Take the lane and enjoy the ride through there. I'm less keen on the stinky fumes, but they're not that awful.

Sustained 20mph for a whole mile does seem a bit of a tall order, but it doesn't look as bad on the video as I had imagined it from what people have said.
 

Biscuit

Legendary Member
Sustained 20mph for a whole mile does seem a bit of a tall order, but it doesn't look as bad on the video as I had imagined it from what people have said.


Looks ok to me. But I'd have to ride it. The first two clips I found on youtube were from the viewpoint of cycling on the pavement!! Now that does looks scary.
 

Adasta

Well-Known Member
Location
London
Sustained 20mph for a whole mile does seem a bit of a tall order, but it doesn't look as bad on the video as I had imagined it from what people have said.

It's not really that bad but it's not very pleasant. A close overtake is particularly galling since there's no room for anyone to go anywhere should things go pear-shaped.
 
Well, I still think a cable car would be a bit of an extravaganza - more aimed at the sightseers than the commuters. Such seems to happen in other parts of the world.

But we cannot evade the main issue, which is that there is a bl**dy big river in the way if you want to traverse between SE London and NE London. Can't really help that! From my own experience give me a bridge rather than a tunnel, any day... :ohmy:.

Could the Dartford Bridge be altered so as to accommodate a segregated cycle track alongside the carriageway? Would give one stupendous view, but I suppose it would be noisy and fume-ridden. But better than the present system of waiting for a van to pick you up. From my experience as a motorist, the main bottleneck at Dartford is the toll-booths, not the width of the tunnel/bridge.

Just a thought.

And if ferries are still running, seems the most pleasant - if not the quickest - way for a cyclist to get across.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Well, I still think a cable car would be a bit of an extravaganza - more aimed at the sightseers than the commuters. Such seems to happen in other parts of the world.

But we cannot evade the main issue, which is that there is a bl**dy big river in the way if you want to traverse between SE London and NE London. Can't really help that! From my own experience give me a bridge rather than a tunnel, any day... :ohmy:.

Could the Dartford Bridge be altered so as to accommodate a segregated cycle track alongside the carriageway? Would give one stupendous view, but I suppose it would be noisy and fume-ridden. But better than the present system of waiting for a van to pick you up. From my experience as a motorist, the main bottleneck at Dartford is the toll-booths, not the width of the tunnel/bridge.

Just a thought.

And if ferries are still running, seems the most pleasant - if not the quickest - way for a cyclist to get across.

Wouldn't be an extravaganza at all. There are so many commuters crossing the Thames during the day that I guarantee that it will be very busy.
The Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels are rubbish for bikes. This would hopefully alleviate the problem.

As to Dartord Bridge Crossing. The toll booths are being removed and replaced with the same camera system as the Congestion Charge.
No way would they allow a cycle path up there. The winds are horrendous on that stretch of the river.
Would be a tough old climb though.
 
OP
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dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
The blackwall was shut this weekend as a cyclist had gone through it , travel news was full of it .
not me












this time. Actually I remember getting such a tow from the truck ahead of me that I couldn't engage in top gear at the top of the exit ramp on the south side. The only bad bit was the bit of timber lying on the carriageway - mercifully it was against the left hand side of the lane, and I was way toward the right.
 
OP
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dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
As to Dartord Bridge Crossing. The toll booths are being removed and replaced with the same camera system as the Congestion Charge.
No way would they allow a cycle path up there. The winds are horrendous on that stretch of the river.
Would be a tough old climb though.
you know you want to.............
 

Doctor Cake

New Member
I used to commute regularly through the Rotherhine Tunnel, but being chicken, cycled on the small pavement along side the road rather than on the road itself. I often saw other cyclists doing the same thing (I'm not a regular pavement cyclist by far, just not got the leg strength to go 20mph uphill, the cars often speed in the tunnel as well). You have to be careful of the occassional pedestrian, but I didn't encounter many of them and none of them ever told me off for being on the pavement as well.

It's definitely not a great way across the river because of the fumes, but it was the trade-off I had to make for the rest of my commute to be pleasent (through parks and along canal tow-paths).

The worst time was when I got a puncture just after the downhill slope and had to push my bike through to the other side.

The best time was when a car broke down inside the tunnel and they closed it off to motor traffic to tow it out. You get the whole tunnel to yourself, no other traffic besides other bikes, it was glorious.

I will be looking forward to the cable car. Had to carry my bike through the Greenwich foot tunnel on Saturday because there were loads of people taking the ferry.
 

her_welshness

Well-Known Member

It was Bermondsey Bill :biggrin: Seriously him and some others were going to have a cyclists breakfast meeting in the Blackwall tunnel in protest at all the f*ck-ups by Greenwich Council.

Anyone who thinks its a daft idea should consider what is actually there in East London, the three main sites I can think of are the Excel Centre, University of East London and London City Airport. Plus as Ian points out the number of commuters and visitors that are going to be using it. There is currently a dearth of access between north and south of the river which will be semi-rectified by the tunnels. However since Serco have taken over the Woolwich ferry the service has gone to pot. The chaps working on there are lovely but in the past 12-18 months we are constantly hearing about the ferry being reduced to just one. Crossing time increases to between 45mins-1 hour and its frustrating for commuters.

Yes it would be great to have a bridge but after Boris turned down that proposal its time to look at the alternatives.
 
So is that really so? If they spot a cyclist in the Blackwall, they have to shut the whole tunnel and then extricate him/her? :eek:

Sounds like a good stunt! :biggrin: ;)

In fact, on reflection, I can't think of any large 'prestige' road bridge which allows cyclists. Perhaps the wind problem is too much of a 'risk'. There's a road bridge which I often drive across, in France, the spectacular Pont de Chevire over the Loire at Nantes. I don't think it permits cyclists and there is certainly no cycle path. There are alternative routes for cyclists, but quite a detour I think. I've never cycled in the area. So maybe they want a cable car there?
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
So is that really so? If they spot a cyclist in the Blackwall, they have to shut the whole tunnel and then extricate him/her? :eek:

Sounds like a good stunt! :biggrin: ;)

In fact, on reflection, I can't think of any large 'prestige' road bridge which allows cyclists. Perhaps the wind problem is too much of a 'risk'. There's a road bridge which I often drive across, in France, the spectacular Pont de Chevire over the Loire at Nantes. I don't think it permits cyclists and there is certainly no cycle path. There are alternative routes for cyclists, but quite a detour I think. I've never cycled in the area. So maybe they want a cable car there?



Yup, and probably charge you for it too.
 
In fact, on reflection, I can't think of any large 'prestige' road bridge which allows cyclists.
You can cycle over the Severn Road Bridge. I did it last year on Lejog. I have also cycled over the Golden Gate Bridge. I think there is also a cycle path over the Humber Bridge.
But you have a point because quite often road and tunnel builders have been probably saving money by not thinking about cyclists. We have a fairly recent tunnel that crosses the Medway between Strood and Chatham and there is no provision for cyclists.
 

subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
predictably the (noo new ??) labour assembly member john biggs was on the Beeb saying its a road link for more cars we need in this corner of London.

No - we need decent links for all road users not just car drivers.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
Definitely can cycle across the Humber Bridge. The whole FNRttC did last September
smile.gif


A cable car in North Greenwich would be useful, as there are precious few ways of getting across the river in the East leading to massive queues for cars in the Blackwall Tunnel and on the Ferry.

Whatever happened to a bridge going from somewhere near Thamesmead? There's an almost completely deserted dual carriage way along there and past Crossness STW to Erith which i was told when I lived there was for a bridge that was to be built over the river near there.
 
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