Residents of E1W will be delighted to learn that the route of the Thames Cable Car has been extended to connect Wapping with The Shard and Royal Docks.
Until now the cable car link, which will carry 2,500 passengers an hour 50 metres above the Thames, was planned to only connect the Royal Docks with Greenwich.
Now Wapping residents will be able to travel east to North Greenwich or south to London Bridge and enjoy spectacular views of the Thames and Tower Bridge.
After new proposals were put forward by a Wapping resident action group City Hall decided to extend the route of the cable car.
Italian engineering group Aprilla Sciocco has been chosen to build the Royal Docks – Wapping – Shard cable car link. A spokesperson for Aprilla Sciocco said the new plans were “Uno scherzo”.
Precisely where the Wapping cable car terminal will be built is not yet clear, but it is believed that possible sites are:
- Tobacco Dock
- Wapping New Stairs
- Above Wapping Overground Station
- Turks Head Cafe garden
Some Wapping residents have voiced concern over the risk of a collision between a plane and the cable car, but a report by the National Air Traffic Service has found the risk of an aircraft accident affecting the cable car would be less than one incident every 15 million years.
It’s unclear at the time of writing, 1 April 2011, if the Wapping Cable Car will be running before the Olympics. But if it is then Wapping can expect to receive a huge number of visitors next summer.
We’re very surprised at City Hall’s decision, but what do you think about the Wapping Cable Car?
Midday update: “April Fool!”
Thank you for joining in the fun and as Norma says, we “hope this is the seed of many laughs to come this year”.
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