[ssiguy]

Cable trams certainly can't be used as "mass" transit as their capacity is simply too low but I think they can be used very effectively in niche applications. Vancouver is considering it for the main SFU campus in Burnaby. SFU sits on a tall mini-mountain all by itself and is steep and high enough that the only 2 roads fetting there are often shut down due to snow and steep inclines. The 3 km cable tram line would connect the campus with the nearby SFU Millenium SkyTrain Station.
They can be used well for accessing difficult areas suchas getting to Toronto Islands from the city like New York has.
They can also have good practicality in "last mile trips"...........the ones where good, free flowing transit is needed to connect to nearby subway/commuter rail stations but LRT is not optional due to the area's layout, density, or high costs.