NBBJ proposes 3 moving walkways to replace London's Circle Line

2015-09-11T05:50:00-04:00

Instead of relying on a subway that breaks down and causes interminable delays, what if the 17 miles of London's Circle Line were replaced with three moving walkways, much like the ones in airports, that allow pedestrians to step on at three miles per hour and then amble over to a fast lane of 15 miles per hour?

According to James Pinkerton, an architectural assistant at the London office of NBBJ which proposed the idea, the travelators would be easier to maintain than a traditional train system precisely because of its three separate walkways. If one broke down, the "two further lines would run smoothly," forming a ceaseless band of movement that wouldn't need to pause for stops or be held up by one solitary malfunctioning train. Travelers could simply walk on and walk off.

"We came up with this idea that benefits the city as a whole," he explained to me in a brief phone interview. Pinkerton was also part of the NBBJ team that created the shadowless tower, which was designed from a s...

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NBBJ proposes 3 moving walkways to replace London's Circle Line