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Posts Tagged ‘Pedestrian’

World’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge Stretches Over 1,000 Feet

04 Aug

[ By SA Rogers in Drawing & Digital. ]

Three hundred feet above the valley floor, a suspension bridge gently sways and bobs as pedestrians cross its 1,621-foot length through the Swiss Alps. These impressive stats have helped the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge in Switzerland break previous records, making it the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world.

Sure, the glass-floored bridge in China is higher and forces you to look down from your precarious position, but this bridge is almost as scary, considering that it’s not stationary and measures just two feet wide. That means you have to march down its length single-file, making it harder to clutch onto others for dear life.

The bridge was completed in 10 weeks by Swissrope and offers magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, including the Bernese Alps and Matterhorn (if you manage to look up and enjoy them instead of staring at your feet and trying not to hyperventilate.) It features a grated metal floor, runs between 5,000-7,000 feet above sea level, and takes ten minutes to walk cross. The pass through the mountains previously took four hours to navigate.

Photos taken from the air (provided by the Switzerland Tourism Board) give us the best idea of the bridge’s scale. The Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge links two sections of the Europaweg hiking trail, a two-day link between the towns of Zermatt and Grächen, and replaces an older bridge that was damaged by falling rocks. It’s named for its primary sponsor.

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[ By SA Rogers in Drawing & Digital. ]

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Small Footprints: London’s First Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridges

06 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

london minimalist bridge crossing

Bucking the trend of extravagant elevated parks, this new walking-and-cycling-only bridge uses tight spirals on either side to minimize land usage with a slender tension-supported pathway (suspended from twin spires) stretched elegantly in between.

london spiral foot bicycle

Designed by Bystrup, a Danish firm, the crossing will span the River Thames in West London and beat out more lofty and complex proposals by other contributing architects.

london bridge at night

While certain other vehicular bridges accommodate non-motorized traffic in London, this one (if constructed before its close cousin, discussed below) is slated to be the first exclusively dedicated to walkers and bikers.

london operable bridge

This somewhat heftier structure is designed to be raised on demand, requiring a bit more bulk as a result (as well as waiting areas when the central portion is lifted to let boats pass).

london brige raised

Meanwhile, across town, another new bridge by ReForm is also in the works between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe.

From the architects: “Our design will do this, creating an internationally recognisable landmark. Its unique and elegant form and operation will become an attraction for visitors. It will enhance the views along and across the Thames, providing scale and interest in the way that the ships on the river itself do.”

london night view

This latter bridge is integrated to pathways and green spaces both extant and planned on either side of the Thames.

london canary wharf bridge

Both bridges will help cut commuting times across London and help make the city friendlier toward those on foot or traveling by bike. Each also aims to become a defining feature of the city, without overwhelming existing bridges or architecture.

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Fast Track: New High-Speed Pedestrian Lanes Live in Liverpool

18 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

pedestrian walking lane

An experimental pedestrian fast lane system deployed in England allows speedy walkers to circumvent gawking tourists and window shoppers.

Implemented by retailer Argos adjacent to a shopping complex in Liverpool, the Fast Track is a trial run (or: really fast walk) for separating dawdlers from power walkers.

PIC BY ARGOS/MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED: THE FAST LANE IN LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE) Speedy shoppers will no longer get stuck behind people who dawdle or stop to check their phones ñ thanks to the UKís first ever pedestrian fast lane. Argos has painted new markings on the pavement outside its Liverpool store after research revealed almost half the nation found the slow pace of high streets to be their biggest shopping bugbear. The new lane, being trialled this week in the Liverpool One shopping complex, hopes to help pick up the pace for those who are hurrying by bypassing the crowds. SEE MERCURY COPY

pedestrian fast speed lane

If it seems like a marketing stunt, consider this: close to 30,000,000 Brits favor fast lanes for busy pedestrian thoroughfares. Close to a third surveyed in a recent study responded that they would approve of some consistent solution to slow-moving foot traffic.

fast lane shopping market

As in similar attempts elsewhere, like NYC’s half-joking painted pavement markings dividing New Yorkers from Tourists, the aim is to provide clear paths for different paces, segregated by speed, cellphone use or other factors, indoors or outside.

This latest variant may only be temporary, but a store spokesperson says it is there by popular demand and if successful the same idea could continue to spread to other private and public spaces.

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