ALMOST anywhere you go on the continent, you will see examples of really imaginative yet workmanlike initiatives designed to encourage more eco-friendly methods of travel. Some make our own efforts appear somewhat insipid but in nearby Camden, eco champio

ALMOST anywhere you go on the continent, you will see examples of really imaginative yet workmanlike initiatives designed to encourage more eco-friendly methods of travel. Some make our own efforts appear somewhat insipid but in nearby Camden, eco champion Alexis Rowell is determined to redress the balance - speculating that electric trains running on wheels through the streets of Hampstead could be the answer to its congestion problems.

Meanwhile, council chiefs there have unveiled plans for cycle stations with changing facilities and maintenance rooms, as part of their green transport strategy.

It's difficult to see the same solutions working, for instance, in Muswell Hill - but has anyone on Haringey Council ever thought of installing Norwegian-style bicycle lifts to make cycling a more realistic alternative? They sound intrusive and cumbersome, but actually they are ingenious yet incongruous escalator-type devices to which a bicyle can be easily attached for steep climbs.

Camden also has plans for cycling stations where up to 90 bikes can be secured but it is the rising terrain around the west of Haringey that makes cycling a far from easy option, and one that only the fittest can contemplate. Electric trains and cycle lifts may sound pie in the sky, but imaginative solutions are required if travel in these parts is to become more eco friendly.