Sky cyclists

One way to get to work...

For cyclists, nothing is more annoying than car drivers and having to weave in and out of traffic. However, a Bulgarian architect called Martin Angelov has come up with a unique solution - put bike lanes in the sky.

Whilst the idea might seem crazy, and even more dangerous than cycling on roads, Angelov is serious and believes his idea would help in high congestion areas where cyclists lives may be more in danger.

"Born to move"

The concept called Kolelinia is, in Angelov's words, a "city-fly" concept.

"We are born to move, this makes us alive. The transport is not only a transport, it has to be an experience! The quality of this process reflects directly on the quality of our life," he writes on his website.

The idea came to him in the summer of 2008, when he participated in an international architectural competition "Line of Site" on the "City Transportation Interchange" brief. His first idea was to make flying bicycle-lanes, "using steel wire, something like ski lift but working on the opposite principle in which the wire is static and it doesn't need electricity."

While that idea went on to win the "City Transportation Interchange" brief, he has developed the idea into the concept it is today.

His new and improved concept sees cyclists attached to the aerial path by way of a handlebar-level wire. Once attached, you simply ride in a bowled-out bar that keeps the tire secure.

High-scale problems

Of course there are problems with the concept - you can't overtake anyone in front of you, so if you're stuck behind a slow cyclist you'll have to endure it and you can't get off the track until you reach the end of the bar... but still, it's a unique idea.

Angelov is currently a presenter for the Sofia's TEDx conference, where he is developing his concept... namely the safety devices. While it is a unique and, if powered by the cyclists, green form of transport, there are a number of questions, primarily safety, that will decide whether it will be taken up by European cities. 

Also, if there is a higher than normal risk of death when it comes to cycling to work, surely you'd just take the bus? And what if you have a problem with heights? Does that mean you'll just have to settle for being stuck in traffic? Numerous questions aside, you can't deny that Angelov is aiming high.

To see more images of the concept, click here.

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