EASY RIDER
15 Mar 2017
China’s new Xiamen Bicycle Skyway covers five major residential areas and three business centres, providing the “world’s longest elevated cycling path” to citizens of Xiamen, China.
Danish office Dissing + Weitling Architecture has completed an elevated cycling path in the Chinese city Xiamen, which the architects claim is the longest of its kind in the world.
The Copenhagen-based architects designed the Xiamen Bicycle Skyway to cover five major residential areas and three business centres in the city in China's Fujian province.
The 7.6km route is elevated five metres above the road but set just below the raised bus transit line, known as the BRT, in the city's downtown area.
"The skyway exclusively for bicycles isn't only the first of its kind in China, it also happens to be the world’s longest," said Dissing + Weitling Architecture.
Featuring a green floor, the skyway is 4.8m-wide to allow several bicycles to travel side-by-side.
Eleven entry and exit points, including a looped one, provide commuters with access to bus and BRT stations, overpasses, shopping malls and other public buildings. Pedestrian bridges, ramps, roundabouts, bicycle parking and bicycle service pavilions are also included along the route.
The City Government of Xiamen, Xiamen Municipal Planning and Design Administration commissioned the pathway to decrease traffic congestion, and promote greener and more sustainable forms of transportation in the city.
"Bicycles are returning in popularity among China's urbanites, mostly due to the omnipresent traffic jams, although many are also appreciative of its health and environmental benefits," the architects explained.
"Not to mention that grabbing the bike is an efficient, easy and fun way of getting around in the cities, especially for short commutes," they continued.
