The bicycle highway: Plans unveiled for £220m 'Skycycle' that lets riders commute far above the railways of London

Plans for a network of cycle pathways high above the streets of London have been unveiled by one of the world's most prominent architects.

SkyCycle is a 135-mile network of roads that would be constructed above existing suburban rail lines to create new cycle routes throughout the capital and has been developed by cycling enthusiast Sir Norman Foster, who designed St Mary Axe, known as 'The Gherkin', and the new Wembley Stadium.

The three-storey high routes would be accessed via ramps at more than 200 points.

The first phase is a four mile stretch from east London to Liverpool Street Station would cost an estimated £220m.

中新網12月30日電 據外媒消息，英國擬投入建設自行車專用高速公路網絡，方便人們選擇自行車作為交通工具從郊區到市區上下班。建築師已經提出相關方案，預計建成時間將花費20年。

　　這個名為“天空行車”的第一期規劃有10條線路，總長約220公里。自行車高速公路網從倫敦市中心往外延伸，整個公路網以高架的形式沿著建設在普通鐵路的上空，約3層樓高。建成後線路每小時最多可容納1.2萬輛自行車。

　　據悉，第一期規劃是從倫敦東部至利物浦火車站，造價約2.2億英鎊。10條線路周邊約有600萬人口，大約有一半的人是住在離高速公路入口不到10分鐘的地方，跑完一次線路只需花費約30分鐘。

　　由於城市中心已經很難將汽車和自行車分流，目前而言，“天空行車”計劃是那些自行車出行的人們最大福音。規劃者們表示，這個高速公路網安全且高效，也更好地提倡了自行車出行，為上班族、市民休閒出行提供一個方便的交通選擇。