If you’ve ever tried to commute via bike, you know it can be fraught with danger: doors opening into the bike lane, pedestrians that jump out of nowhere, smog in your face and rain-slick streets. Now picture an elevated tube that lets cyclists move around the city in a safe, climate-controlled, enclosed bicycle superhighway. BMW wants to make it happen.
Called the Vision E3 Way and designed in collaboration with Shanghai’s Tongji University, the idea is to create elevated tubes that connect to traffic hubs, shopping areas and underground stations, accessed by a ramp with barriers to control the amount of traffic in the tubes. Any zero-emissions, two-wheeled vehicle is welcome, and the climate would be controlled so you could comfortably commute all year-round.
Related: Berlin plans at least 12 new bike superhighways
Lighting and climate control would be powered by a rooftop array of solar panels. To encourage car owners to bike, rental stations would be placed throughout the network. The system could not only improve travel for cyclists, but the reduction in traffic congestion and air pollution could make life better for everyone. ‘It’s our Hyperloop,’ said Markus Seidel, head of the BMW Technology Office China.
Via Digital Trends
