- The Lidoline would follow the route of Regent's Canal, with 'stations' used as open air cinemas in the evening
- Concept could be used for ice skating in the winter months
If Boris bikes aren't enough exercise, a London design firm has proposed a new way for London commuters to get to work - by swimming.
The 'Lidoline' would create a special commuter lane in Regent's Canal, which spans London.
The idea, developed by design firm Y/N, has already won second prize in a prestigious contest organised by the Mayor of London, and the firm now hopes to attract funding to make the project a reality.
During the winter a thin membrane would be
placed along the route, allowing it to freeze easily and making it safe
to ice skate one.
'The obvious thing was the Regents Canal - it runs through London, but is sporadically used, and is rarely used in its entirety.
'Creating a commuting network would allow people to reuse the canal, and they could be taken to work while highlighting underused places of London.'
The idea came second to a scheme to transform the disused 'Mail Rail' tunnel under Oxford Street in London into an urban mushroom garden lit at street level by sculptural glass-fibre mushrooms in a recent Landscape Institute/Mayor of London/Garden Museum competition.
The route would stretch from Little Venice to Limehouse Basin
Stations along the route could also be used as open air cinemas in the evening, the team behind the lidoline claim.
However, the team behind the Lidoline said they are hopeful it could still happen.
'We would love to take it further if we can find the energy and the funding.
'It's sensibly ambitious, there are plans for a floating pool in US, and it would be great if we could even realise a short stretch of it.'
Larger pools could also be created along the route to boost swimming across London.
Grandstands and viewing areas could be built for swimming contests and cinema showings.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2215039/Lidoline-Plans-allow-Londoners-SWIM-work-canal-network-revealed.html#ixzz28sOH1NFz
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