Travelator given the thumbs up

Nearly 60 per cent of Docklanders surveyed last month think a wind-powered travelator idea for Harbour Esplanade is “brilliant”.

Some 31 of the 53 respondents to the online survey (58.5 per cent) said the travelator idea would be “the iconic feature that will draw visitors from near and far.”

A further seven repondents said: “OK. Yeah, it’s not a bad idea”, two were neutral about the idea and 13 said: “Stupid. The person who thought of this is an idiot”.

The proposed travelator would be powered by wind turbines and would be covered to protect pedestrians from the worst of Docklands’ weather.

Of the negative comments left about the idea, many critics said it would make people lazy if they were not made to walk.

Others objected to spending money on the idea and its potential to block water views.

Of the many positive comments, supporters agreed that something unique was needed to attract visitors to Docklands.

Les Turner summed up the thoughts of many: “This is an idea worthy of consideration. Why? Because what we have a lot of in Docklands is wind. So let’s use it to great effect. It will also be a great feature along Harbour Esplanade that needs a way of traversing and under cover out of the wind! I reckon it will attract a lot of interest and will work.”