SkyCycle aerial cycle lanes in London take a step closer to reality as architects propose test sites to Network Rail

“Boris was all over the idea,” said Martin. “He summed it up in one line, ‘It’s like ET flying to the moon, flying over London.’”

No it isn't. What a twit.

This is just a distraction.

I think this is a totally awesome idea and i would definitely be one of the first to cycle on this "scenic" route.
I have always wanted a road to myself without the worries of a bus or truck coming up behind you.

£1 could fair pretty expensive though, especially if you use it daily. Maybe consider an annual or quarterly licence for using this "toll road". I wouldn't mind paying £50 a year, especially if this idea comes with a roof so that it will become very popular when it rains or even snows and all other transport comes to a stand-still.

I really hope this idea becomes popular and expands to all areas of London...especially the South East!

Make it happen already!!!

Fairly typical Boris though, isn't it? Impractical for people who don't see it as something to use for the sake of saying you have used it, more expensive than an actual solution, but guaranteed lots of coverage in the press. And how typically British, exemplifying the traffic planner/motorist's "Oh, just get them out of the way" attitude to cycling.

Has Boris canvassed public opinion to find out how many people would actually be willing to pay? It all has a certain "Springfield Monorail" quality about it.

There's not a country on the planet that's seriously considering this type of impractical and expensive scheme

move along please - nothing to see here

Utterly bonkers solution to a major problem of how to get more cyclists on the road in safety. We need to follow Holland and put cyclists at the centre of any road use and improvement policy.

Give cyclists the right of way over cars. On shared routes such as as parts of the National Cycle routes clear rules need to be spelled out - keep left on a bike and keep right if on foot, and above all do not block the whole path whether on foot or bike. Pedestrians should be alert and ready to step aside when they see a cyclist approaching them, which they would if they walk on the right. It's in the Country Code for 'how to walk safely on narrow roads'. Why do we not teach this to our kids?

Much like the Ski Lift, it feels like a tourist attraction, rather than a viable alternative to commuters. Would you end up stuck in the tunnel behind a group of tourist taking in the view?

It also suggests massive pile up to me.

This is an even more stupid idea than preferring a ski-lift over the Thames to a bridge, which I thought was an all-time stupid idea. The video doesn't really address the major issue of how to get on and off the thing. I imagine that it will be a staircase, with a "Cyclists Dismount" sign at the top.

Hmmm... I wonder which major corporation, with a recent history of sponsorship of cycling, they might possibly be courting with the name SkyCycle? That is the only way this is going to happen, if some organisation pours tens of millions of pounds into it as a PR stunt. And it might work in one or two locations, for tourists. But as a transport solution? Nah. However, it would provide yet another thing for those who hate cyclists to shout out their car windows, and from the opinion columns of Tory wrags: get off the road, you should be in one of those tubes (for your own safety, and my convenience.)

So people pay for roads which they have right to use for free or pay because they can't fleece anymore out of other modes of transport, think again tfl and sort out the roads properly.

The only way this will happen is if the company building it has ex tory MPs on the board. Ever asked yourself why there's so much pointless road furniture about? Check to see who's on the board of the companies that manufacture the stuff.

Not convinced at all by this.

I live in Clapham and work in the city so in their theory would be a potential user. But why would I pay £1 for a short streach of my journey (to Waterloo), when I have to get back on the roads for the majority of it?

The picture at the top looks like the skycycle is far too high (picture taken from the London eye prehaps?).

I think the concept has got legs, looks a great solution to safe riding in London imo, not sure about the £1 a time though, although I guess if drivers have to be charged for driving into the city, it's a fair proposition.

Interesting to see how this progresses.

There is also the issue of not being able to get out of the tunnel at a convenient time - you have to wait for the next exit. And you'll probably have to wait to get on a crowded elevator before you can start cycling.

The way I see this, it's like they're nullifying most of cyclo-commuting's advantages: being free and convenient. It looks it will be just like taking the overground, for example, albeit slightly healthier...

I've not really looked too far into this ..

Why the hell should you pay to use it though, I understand there are costs involved, but have we recently made all roads Toll Roads ..?

No, not yet (it will happen) .. so why on earth would we want to charge cyclists (albeit just a pound) to use this..

Pull the other one Boris...

Doesn't being charged for it (almost as much as for a bus trip) go against one of the reasons people commute by bike - that it's free?!

I'd say the best way to improve cycle safety is to make roads wider whenever possible - so that motorists don't have to do dangerous overtakes. And please, no more cycle paths on the pavement or really close to pedestrians... Who came up with that bright idea?

I wonder how long this preposterous idea will sustain itself before it dies the death it deserves.

If people will be charged for it, it will not have 100% uptake. (I certainly will never use it).

It will have limited routes seeing as it will follow elevated railways (How many of them exist in North London?)

I have seen people suggest that it will cost more than just adjusting the current infrastructure.

Its not exactly the "Love London, Go Dutch" scheme that the mayor signed up to days before the election.