European-style cable cars and a moving walkway are among ideas being considered for a new Thames crossing.

The proposals are contained in a Transport for London-commissioned report into possible "greener" crossings instead of the Thames Gateway bridge.

They come ahead of government plans to launch a fresh inquiry, expected in 2009, into the controversial crossing. A series of proposals to build a new bridge across the Thames at Woolwich have already been proposed but none has received government approval.

The report, by leading transport academics Professor John Whitelegg and Professor Phil Goodwin, recommends greener options including:

• Cable cars which carry 5,000 people with minimal waiting times, such as those used in New York, Singapore and Barcelona.

• Ferries, including those carrying bicycles to encourage cycling in its own right.

• A walk, cycle and bus bridge with no access to motor traffic except emergency vehicles.

• A tram system with possible provision for cycle and pedestrian access.

• An accelerating moving walkway in a glass tube above the river, like those in airports.

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