Cyclists go underground

This looks pretty cool, I don’t live in London but I’d visit just to razz through old tube tunnels!

Underground cycle network

The track looks to be filled in to meet the platform level…. I can only imagine how much agregate or infill would be required to achieve this, it would be staggering I’m sure. I could see them ripping out the tracks and just resurfacing tbh. Also, they would need to light, ventilate, and no doubt tile or in some way finish the tunnel walls, this would also be an astounding cost.

My company gave budgets for some of this and TBH it could be done relatively cheaply, it just depends on how much shite the architects reckon there should be added to ‘enhance the experience’ – FFS!!

Silly gimmick IMO.

Only short lengths of tunnels are available, so you’ll spend more time getting up and down than you would have just riding above ground.

Put the cars down there instead.

Getting up and down to/from street level would be my concern. As well as the idea that cyclists must be hidden away leaving the outside world for drivers.

That and no gps signal for strava 😉

I love stuff like kinetic paving, but it’s surely crap for what they’re proposing? It’s designed to power cats eyes and the like, it’s not going to pay for itself unless it simulates riding through treacle and a load of TDF riders start using it for training.

Its a shame that the running tunnel at Aldwych is a smaller diameter than that shown in the picture, and also at the other end of the platform tunnel that they still use to bring the occasional train into and for films such as Skyfall and Fast & Furious……
I’m not quite sure how you’d get out at the other end at Holborn as you’d have to build a new street to tunnel vertical circulation to get people in and out as the turnout from the existing Picc Line tracks means you don’t get into Holborn station – you’d actually come out somewhere on Kingsway close to Remnant Street., and maybe an intermediate escape shaft as well.
You could maybe use the Crossrail grout shafts in the Kingsway Tram Tunnel – actually that’s be a better cycling route all round – maybe not as photogenic though.
Fire strategy would be “interesting” as well.
For a less than 1km segregated cycle link, I reckon you’d be looking at costs of around £50-75m not including property acquisition costs, and the requirement for Transport Works Act Order.
Oh, I’m one of those architects who works on and designs Underground stations, I think you’ll find that all the

shite

that we add, isn’t the expensive bit.

Suddenly it doesn’t seem to expensive to just put in a few cycle lanes on the highway instead, eh?

Its nonsense.

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2015/02/the-village-idiot-of-urban-innovation.html?m=1

The track looks to be filled in to meet the platform level…. I can only imagine how much agregate or infill would be required to achieve this, it would be staggering I’m sure.

Have you seen how much CrossRail is digging out? But yes, the whole thing appears to be bollox.

Old hat.

I've come up with my own architecturally inspiring vision for London's cycling infrastructure. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/Rch3DTlzQM

— Bez (@beztweets) October 7, 2014

What use is that!!! Stava won’t work underground! 😆

So if its not economic to go under – why not over.

Large plastic sheets dispensed on site from lorries with powered guillotine Cutting . Bonded into tubes if required to go across existing structures or pegged hooplike to the ground where possible. All using recycled soft drink bottles..

Simpleeesss

Sadly I think it is little more than a good idea that’ll get people talking.
The costs will be huge and access/evacuation/ventilation will be the problems which eventaully stop it leaving the drawing board.

(I work in HVAC-R design/Manufacturing and there are good reasons why nobody has managed to come up with a cost effective solution to air-condition the tube)

The best cycling solution i’ve seen for London was the suspended cycleway above the Thames – that looked awesome.

I thought you were going to mention this:
Clicky

Could the answer to London’s congestion be a network of subterranean cycleways?

Er no, cos cyclists aren’t the cause of it are they? Pedestrianise the whole damn city.

Anyway – surely elevated covered cycleways would be cheaper than this?

Large plastic sheets dispensed on site from lorries with powered guillotine Cutting . Bonded into tubes if required to go across existing structures or pegged hooplike to the ground where possible. All using recycled soft drink bottles..

Simpleeesss

That sounds ace. In fact, it sounds a lot like Matchbox track suspended from lampposts. I’d far rather ride on that than in some overpriced, poorly ventilated tunnel that only extends 300 yards underneath Westminster.

Sadly I think it is little more than a good idea that’ll get people talking.

With respect, I think it’s a really, really bad idea which will distract from the more important (and actually achievable) task of getting safe and adequate provision for cyclists above ground.

I agree with chakaping its a really poorly thought through idea that fundamentally gets, well, everything wrong:
Cycling underground – why? except for those cool Red Bull races, or the cycling event in Saumur where they top up your water bottle with wine when you head into and out of the caves.
Whilst reusing disused Underground tunnels is a nice esquisse, once thought through it just doesn’t stand up under scrutiny:
The turnout from Green Park to the new Jubilee Line Extension tunnels is some way beyond the station, so you’d need to build a new street level access building – the Jubilee Line is about 15m deep there (ish) – the land is pricey. Thinking about I think the split is somewhere between Green Park (the park itself) and Parliament Square.
The disused Jubilee Line tunnels don’t go to Aldwych (the Fleet Line nearly did, but then they didn’t extend that beyond CharingX) – you’ll need to build new tunnels, it could be in SCL, but I’d suggest that there’d need to be at least 1 intermediate construction shaft between CharingX and Aldwych.
There’s no step-free route from street to platforms at Aldwych, so you’d need to allow also for a new lift shaft from the foot of the existing (disused) lifts to the platforms.
The tunnels don’t reach Holborn station (so the same thing as at Green Park…)
To do this you’d need a Transport Work Act Order, which takes about a year….
I reckon you’re heading towards £250-300m now for this scheme.

aP – You’re ruining this thread with your actual knowledge of the subject being discussed. Gah!
That’s not why I come to STW, I want unreasonable jumping to conclusions without reasoned arguments

Screw you, I’m off to look at GIFs of doorknobs that look like faces

Sorry. Its been an interesting diversion, must move on…..
Oooh, please put up pictures or links 😉

Last week I was daydreaming whilst stuck yet again on the Hammersmith and City line at Edgware Road and was imagining what of all of the underground was was actually linked into some sort of subterranean bike park. Much more interesting that a short section of bike lane.

Didn’t phatlizard (this week starring in STW- Where are they now? on ITV) organise a big race in some caves in Germany? Maybe this would be a good opportunity for a cool new version of the Nocturne…

I had a slightly related thought on this recently , why dont they build cyclepaths that run parallel to existing or disused railway lines.

I use the Glossop to Manchester line fairly regularly and there is plenty of room trackside to have a cycle path.

A decent surface could be either fire road style or paved, bit of extra lighting and a decent safety fence to keep everything segregated.

Personally I’d even be happy to pay a nominal fee to access it rather than having to mix it up with the loons on the road.

Doubt it will ever happen though.

I’m just surprised it hasn’t been turned into flats.

Could the answer to London’s congestion be a network of subterranean cycleways?

Pretty sure it wasn’t the bikes causing gridlock on my morning commute when I was in London.

Given how short the available tunnels are, this just seems like a silly idea. As chakaping said, it’s a bollocks infrastructure idea that distracts from productive efforts.

The existing road network is perfectly fine IMO. It’s the motor vehicles, and in particular the way in which some of them are driven which create the danger and inconvenience…
I’d rather the time and money was spent on sorting out the construction lorries which continue to be over-represented in the dead-cyclist data and on proper enforcement of existing driving laws…
The point of cycling in London is it’s quick and convenient – having to go down into the tunnel and take a pre-defined route provides no kind of solution to the actual problem