Longest cycle tunnel in world opens next month

[T4tomo]

How have they self sabotaged that, they are objecting to the abandonment aren't they?

I'm not close to to the campaign so you may know something I don't.

i'm not close to it either but as I understand it DfT own it, forgot to pay a £50 rent on a pumping station / water pump which led to severe flooding of it, and then invoked emergency powers to throw a loaf of ballast down a vent shaft and have generically spent about £7m trying to officially abandon it, when if they had been in the least bit switched on could have used those funds to get it it reopened for cycling / walking / greenway use. A lot of what DfT have spent has made it even more expensive to reopen, as their "repairs" have been done by blocking things up.

 

[wiggydiggy]

i'm not close to it either but as I understand it DfT own it, forgot to pay a £50 rent on a pumping station / water pump which led to severe flooding of it, and then invoked emergency powers to throw a loaf of ballast down a vent shaft and have generically spent about £7m trying to officially abandon it, when if they had been in the least bit switched on could have used those funds to get it it reopened for cycling / walking / greenway use. A lot of what DfT have spent has made it even more expensive to reopen, as their "repairs" have been done by blocking things up.

Ah I misunderstood you, DfT are the custodians yes not the group I was thinking of, and yes DfT have royally cocked it up.

Theres some pictures of the whole route Halifax<>Queensbury here and an explore inside the queensbury tunnel showing the flooding you mention.

http://lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk/Queensbury Halifax.htm

 

[ColinJ]

Theres some pictures of the whole route Halifax<>Queensbury here and an explore inside the queensbury tunnel showing the flooding you mention.

http://lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk/Queensbury Halifax.htm

I was looking at that a while back after crossing Hewenden Viaduct with @Littgull...

That is looking towards Queensbury. If the tunnel were reopened then the cycle path could be extended from the tunnel over to the viaduct.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I was looking at that a while back after crossing Hewenden Viaduct with @Littgull...

View attachment 681083

View attachment 681084

That is looking towards Queensbury. If the tunnel were reopened then the path could be extended over the viaduct.

What’s that in the foreground; where they keep a snow shovel?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

View: https://youtu.be/Pmp4S_MzVRk

Will the Garmin keep a GPS lock? Or will I end up with a straight line on Strava?

 

[HLaB]

More here
https://www.euronews.com/green/2023...el-aims-to-cut-traffic-in-this-norwegian-city

The Norwegians love their tunnels. I was in Tromsø once and there was even a junction complete with traffic roundabout in a tunnel.

They could have competition from South Wales. This one needs a mere 10 million quid to convert it to a cycle tunnel (like that's going to happen) Bizarrely the length is given in yards and I can't be arsed to covert it.
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021...ld-be-europes-longest-underground-cycle-route

The tunnels to Market Harborough are scary enough and they are only 500m each. https://marketharborough.com/places...little-bowden-1/days-out/brampton-valley-way/

 

[Domus]

Here’s an idea, open the centre rescue Chunnel four days a week. 2 days each way so as not to risk head on collisions, charge a toll say £20.
Feel free to Pooh Pooh the idea but I think I could work.

 

[Domus]

The more I think about it I think I’ll email Grant Shapps.

 

[BrumJim]

The more I think about it I think I’ll email Grant Shapps.

He's no longer the Transport Secretary. Try Mark Harper instead. Actually, don't. Try Huw Merriman instead. He's got his head a bit more screwed on.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Here’s an idea, open the centre rescue Chunnel four days a week. 2 days each way so as not to risk head on collisions, charge a toll say £20.
Feel free to Pooh Pooh the idea but I think I could work.

Like it

And if you got a puncture you could always flag down a train.

 

[T4tomo]

Here’s an idea, open the centre rescue Chunnel four days a week. 2 days each way so as not to risk head on collisions, charge a toll say £20.
Feel free to Pooh Pooh the idea but I think I could work.

That's effectively what the Norway one is that started the thread, built as the evacuation tunnel but duels as a bike / pedestrian route.

There wouldn't appear to be any reason why the chunnel couldn't do the same, it would at least end small boat crossings in a instant

 

[FishFright]

The more I think about it I think I’ll email Grant Shapps.

For god's sake don't mention anyone using it in the other direction !

 

[Domus]

Albanian gangs will start selling bikes instead of rubber dinghies.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Bizarrely the length is given in yards and I can't be arsed to covert it.
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021...ld-be-europes-longest-underground-cycle-route

It's in yards because it's an old railway tunnel and British railways are measured in miles, chains and yards, even now.
That measurement will simply be taken from a railway source, simples!

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's in yards because it's an old railway tunnel and British railways are measured in miles, chains and yards, even now.
That measurement will simply be taken from a railway source, simples!

That's one way of putting it. Another explanation is that the journalist who wrote the article was too lazy/stupid to do a conversion so that it made sense to his readers.