Possible, a climate change charity, is calling on the Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond Councils to potentially launch a major feasibility study. The project would look into the viability of a car-free alternative to reopening Hammersmith Bridge in London to motor traffic.
It has been suggested that a fleet of lightweight autonomous electric vehicles could provide the vital transport link across the bridge, which has been shut to traffic since 2019.
Crucially, this would avoid the need for further expensive engineering works to the Grade II Listed structure in west London.
The plans would see the introduction of a two-way cycle lane, which would run across the bridge next to the pods and also still allow pedestrians to use it.
The bridge was closed indefinitely four years ago after cracks were found, with pedestrians and cyclists also being banned from using it between August 2020 and July 2021.
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Data shows that since it was closed in 2019, around half of the motor traffic that used to cross the river has disappeared.
The Mayor of London, Transport for London and Hammersmith & Fulham Council have all committed to lofty environmental goals to slash car traffic in the city by over a quarter by the end of the decade.
However, Possible claims that the organisations involved do not have the right policies in place to achieve this.
Leo Murray, co-director at climate charity Possible, said: “In the four years since excess motor traffic broke Hammersmith Bridge and it was forced to close to cars, vehicle counts show that traffic has actually fallen across south west London, even in key places where some local people believe it has got worse.
Mr Murray added: “Our proposal looks to the clean transport technologies of the future, and could genuinely be in operation serving local communities within months.
“All we need to go ahead is for the councils to agree to let us carry out a full feasibility study.”
Possible stated that the shuttle solution has been designed to work within the existing engineering constraints already in place.
Once repairs are finished, only a single, lightweight vehicle will be able to cross at the same time as pedestrians and cyclists.
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