Rising costs halt plans for walking and cycling crossing
Rising costs halt plans for walking and cycling crossing
Posted on 25 Jun 2019
In 2008, Sustrans proposed a walking and cycling bridge over the Thames to connect south-east London to the Docklands peninsular to make walking and cycling more accessible and possible for thousands of residents in the area.
The investigation into the opportunity highlighted that the bridge would lead to a pertinent new walking and cycling crossing providing a vital link across the east side of the river.
The Mayor has invested hundreds of millions of pounds to get this project up and running but the estimated cost of the project has increased to around half a billion pounds. Transport for London (TfL) is now exploring the option of having a ferry at the site for cyclists and pedestrians alongside a bigger long term goal to make walking and cycling easier and safer across the capital.
Matt Winfield, London director at Sustrans, said:
"We are hugely disappointed that the Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf bridge has been cancelled. With so much development planned for east London, it is essential that new walking and cycle crossings over the Thames are built so that it is easier for people to reach jobs and services using sustainable, clean modes of transportation.
Cycling and walking are a vital part of the transport mix but not if we force people to share tunnels with motor traffic. London needs significant change to address the problems of air quality, fairness, congestion and health - the cancellation of this bridge takes exactly the opposite approach."
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