Labour London Assembly member (and directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets) John Biggs tabled a formal question to Mayor of London Boris Johnson seeking an update on the proposed ‘Brunel Bridge’ for pedestrians and cyclists which could be built to link Rotherhithe with Canary Wharf.

Boris Johnson’s reply was published on Monday evening:

TfL is providing financial and other support to the work being undertaken by Sustrans to develop plans for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe.

The work suggests that there is a positive case for better crossings in this area. It has found that a bridge would deliver benefits by encouraging walking and cycling trips, and provide an alternative to the busy Jubilee line between Canada Water and Canary Wharf.

There are some significant challenges that a bridge here would need to overcome, including meeting the needs of shipping and connecting into the existing walking and cycling networks on either side. Further work will be required to investigate these issues.

TfL expects to receive the outputs of this work shortly. Next steps will be considered with key stakeholders, including the opportunities that exist for funding, construction and ongoing maintenance.