No Sir! There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, cable-car!

Wednesday 3 November

No Sir! There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, cable-car!

By Darryl Chamberlain 12:40 PM

Vertigo sufferers beware. Seen that episode of The Simpsons where monorail fever grips the city of Springfield?

Well, our very own Mayor Quimby, Boris Johnson, is hoping something similar will grip east and south-east London. Except it won’t be “MONORAIL!” we’ll be singing – it’ll be “CABLE CAR!”

Planning documents have just been submitted for the project, which is due to link the O2 at Greenwich with the ExCel centre at the Royal Docks.

It’s not the first time somebody’s tried to do it – a similar scheme was binned in 1998 after a row between its private backers and the operators of the under-construction Millennium Dome.

Four years ago, the O2’s owners wanted to build one to Canary Wharf, only for that idea to be dropped when it was realised passengers would be able to peer into penthouse flats on the Isle of Dogs.

But although it will undoubtedly offer great views of the capital and become a tourist attraction in its own right, the plan has met with bemusement among the people who are expected to use it. The road network south of the river is notoriously clogged up, with most people agreeing Something Must Be Done to clear the Blackwall Tunnel bottleneck – whether with new public transport projects, new road crossings, or both.

Pretty as a cable car might be, it’s not going to do much to clear those traffic jams or ease the congested Jubilee Line, although once Crossrail comes it could provide a handy link for North Greenwich.

But with little cash in the pot and TfL hoping to raise funds for the scheme with private finance, it might be the best frustrated river crossers will see for some years.

The historical precedents for the Greenwich cable car aren’t encouraging – but there’s no sign of a Marge Simpson waiting to object. Both Greenwich and Newham councils keen on the project, it’s likely to be given the go-ahead.

If the cash can be found, the cable car could end up one of Mayor Johnson’s legacies to London. Like the “Boris bikes”, the cable car will be nice to have – but it won’t be an answer to our pressing transport problems.

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