Another chance to walk on water in London

After the previous post about the new foot and cycle bridge at Shoreham, here’s another footbridge post, only this time it’s a new bridge for London. Whatever you think of George Osborne’s Autumn Statement,  it reportedly includes some good news for pedestrians - a £30m Treasury contribution towards the planned Thomas Heatherwick Garden Bridge over the River Thames. There have been comments about the high cost of the bridge, reportedly around £150 million - but I wonder how much a road bridge in the same location would cost. And how much fuss would be made about that?



Those who doubt the value of pedestrian bridges should take a look at the Millennium (aka Wobbly) Bridge which links St Pauls/the City with Tate Modern/the South Bank – a brilliant new way for walkers to cross the river. These bridges, dedicated to pedestrians are not so much living streets as freshwater piers, providing great place for dawdling, taking in the views, and forging new connections – the very best kind of active travel.
(Photo: Arup)