What's totally bonkers about it? Its a walkway, about 400m, covered, avoids crossing roads on the level and might be part of Oxford Road station's paid area as suggested by someone upthread (for security). Should take no more than 5 minutes to walk it. It could incorporate a small pod shuttle on one side as well to cater for those who can't walk the distance but for most people it's probably not worth waiting for a pod and a walk would be just as quick. Double the distance and an APM would become preferable as walk time would be significantly longer, but some walking interchanges on London Underground are of a similar length through subterranean passageways and such distances are commonplace at airports. I like the idea of travelators but recognise they are large, heavy, maintenance and energy intensive, but they have the advantage of no waiting unlike a pod where the distance, speed, loading time and number of pods determines a frequency which implies a wait, especially with small pods and large pulse loads of peak time rail traffic. If for many normal fitness passengers waiting time plus journey time approaches the walk time then most I guess will walk anyway which means lower overall pod capacity would be required, only sufficient to deal with the typical volumes of persons with reduced mobility. A travelator might trim a further minute or two from the walk time, guaranteed, every time, assuming it's working! Manchester has considered walkways and travelators since the Picc-Vicc scheme proposals in the 1970s so its hardly groundbreaking, but I fully accept the particular idea to place it next to the rail viaduct might prove totally impractical under more detailed investigation, due to factors I am not aware of. That other building between canal and Metrolink is shown under construction in later Streetview images and appears not to block my pedestrian footbridge over Whitworth St W.
