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news
Somers-Town-Bridge_Kings-Cross-5-800x450.jpgNew Regent’s Canal cyclist bridge will be closed at night
A new bridge for cyclists at Kings Cross will provide a crossing for the Regent’s Canal - but it will be closed at night.
The new bridge has been approved by Camden Council. Named Somers Town Bridge, it will open in spring 2017 and will link Camley Street to the heart of the ongoing King’s Cross development.
The bridge will spans the Regent’s Canal between Camley Street and what will be known as Gasholder Gardens, forming an important connection for pedestrians and cyclists to the west, into Somers Town.
At its slimmest point, the bridge is only 15mm thick and yet ingenious engineering mean that the entire 38-metre crossing is spanned without any intermediate support.
It is designed to complement the Victorian design nearby, with an industrial aesthetic and a minimalist shape.
Speaking about the planning approval, Anthony Peter, Project Director at the railway developer Argent said: “We’re delighted that the bridge gained planning approval – it is an important connection for pedestrians and cyclists coming to King’s Cross.”
Moxon Architects practice director Ben Addy, said: “In such a diverse context of landmark structures and historic fabric it is inappropriate for the new bridge to be an overly flamboyant structure: it will be a considered and beautiful addition to the location, but even more than this we have develop a design that is as emphatically and enjoyably practical as its Victorian neighbours.”
The bridge will be three and half metres wide, and weigh 60 tonnes, constructed in four parts which will be welded in place over the space of one weekend.
After concerns were raised about security, the developers and council have arranged for the bridge to be closed at night for the first year, with a review at that point.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 5 min 29 sec ago
Of course, depending on when it was created, it's also legal to park in a mandatory cycle lane! (not that people pay any attention to laws about...
- chrisonabike 40 min 41 sec ago
Also don't forget - Sustrans are a charity *....
- chrisonabike 52 min 19 sec ago
Yes ... but (just due to the large numbers of people affected) this likely would only proceed in the UK at a very ... cautious ... pace....
- hawkinspeter 57 min 39 sec ago
A handful of acorns should be enough to keep you going
- EK Spinner 1 hour 9 min ago
Arsehole in the van not with standing, how did they manage to get a risk assessment allowing a race (a group not a TT) group to be competing on ...
- RafaDy 1 hour 5 min ago
I think reviewer completely missed the point here trying to match bike's name with what it can do. Ribble is namin git's bike weirdly, the...
- Moist von Lipwig 4 hours 30 min ago
Bit of googling gone wrong in the article - the JAT is the Junction Assessment Tool, the Joint Approval Team appears to be a coutner terrorism...
- HKR 5 hours 45 min ago
Can't believe that child threw his bike on the floor at the end of that. Young people today have no respect... ;))
- Griff500 4 hours 33 min ago
Its not the same stem fitted to the two bikes though, and we aren't talking about HTA we are talking about stem inclination or "stem rise" to use...
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12 comments
Perhaps it is my monitor, but how is that bridge only "15mm thick" at its slimmest point? Do you mean the decking is a "skin" that thick? Because those side buttresses are a lot deeper than that, so what difference visually? It’s like saying the floor on a bus is only 3mm thick…
So presumably there will be road closures if security becomes a concern, or is the mindset of closures only applicable to places you don't find motorists.
Either like cycle paths having barriers for security concerns.
This all reminds me of a meeting I attended at Manchester council where it was decided that motorists had to have access to a road at night because they made it more secure. Is there any evidence at all that cars make a place safer?
Out of interest, how does one 'close' a bridge?
Who stumps up for the dooby to go along and 'close' it by whatever means is necessary?
I think authorities pick and choose as to whether cyclists are more like pedestrians or cars. Bridge has 'security concerns'? Just close it, like you would an iffy footbridge. Kind of defeats the point of having it, I would have thought.
(Flip side, for me, was the Clifton Suspension Bridge being closed to cars and cyclists recently. One footway remained open for pedestrians; cyclists could walk along that but the bridge trust discouraged it as it was narrow. Cyclists would be preferred to use the diversion the same as cars. After all, the diversions are only a *few* miles...)
Extremely hilly miles too I would have thought!
We have had numerous instances of roads being completely closed in the countryside surrounding my village. Whilst it might be dangerous for cars to pass near roadworks I think consideration should always be given to see if a small path for cyclists could be kept open.
This would give cyclists a safe route away from roads with normal plus diverted traffic and also give Daily Mail readers something else to complain about.
I normally just take a chance. I don't think I ever couldn't get through.
Fortunately I only use the bridge for pleasure. I'd have been somewhat unimpressed if it was part of my commuter route.
Nah - you could push the bike along just fine, no detour required and no real hassle except when people decided they would ride along it anyway. Hardly the worst view in the world whilst you do...
Define "Night."
Homeward commuting time for a large part of the year?
I wonder if the council has done any work to establish whether the bridge after dark would still be safer than existing roads?
Re-reading that article I think they don't mean "safety" so much as "make it hard for plebs on bikes to get into the heart of our new development ".
I don't see the benefit of closing it. If security is a problem, then people can just avoid using it during the night-time if they are concerned. Alternatively, they could shove a CCTV camera or two on it - we're not usually shy of doing that in this country.