Burnaby Mountain Gondola | Proposed - Page 29

Migrant_Coconut · #**561** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 4:21 AM**

In SFU's defence, they probably want to get midterms out of the way ASAP; they have many more potential snow days because of their higher altitude, so they need to hold out while all the "low-lying" schools close.

Ditto Capilano, which held out half an hour longer last Tuesday than SFU!

Colin4567 · #**562** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 4:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

In SFU's defence, they probably want to get midterms out of the way ASAP; they have many more potential snow days because of their higher altitude, so they need to hold out while all the "low-lying" schools close.

Ditto Capilano, which held out half an hour longer last Tuesday than SFU!

For YEARS they've done nothing. I reached out to the President's office today so I'm hoping I get a response back sometime soon. Midterms and snow closures is THE BEST time to put the pressure on.

Migrant_Coconut · #**563** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 4:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin4567

For YEARS they've done nothing. I reached out to the President's office today so I'm hoping I get a response back sometime soon. Midterms and snow closures is THE BEST time to put the pressure on.

Or we can just lobby for the gondola (and better SkyTrain performance) and make the whole closure thing a moot point. Ditto Cap - eventually, Phibbs needs a gondola too.

Colin4567 · #**564** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 5:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Or we can just lobby for the gondola (and better SkyTrain performance) and make the whole closure thing a moot point. Ditto Cap - eventually, Phibbs needs a gondola too.

"Just lobby for the gondola" - yes, what I said today was a start, and part of a bigger campaign. I can't get into the logistics as much of it was told to me in confidence but there's a LOT of work to do.

Migrant_Coconut · #**565** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 5:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin4567

"Just lobby for the gondola" - yes, what I said today was a start, and part of a bigger campaign. I can't get into the logistics as much of it was told to me in confidence but there's a LOT of work to do.

Yeah, maybe "just" was a poor choice of words....

Brixton · #**566** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 7:01 AM**

Thanks for doing your part, the only way these bastards will do what needs to be done is if we light a fire under their ass's. I think the one guy who didn't look down from his phone once perfectly shows what we're dealing with.

s211 · #**567** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 5:20 PM**

I have to wonder what thought, if any, has been given about the operability of a gondola system in severe weather. Take a look at all the shutdowns Whistler has because of high winds. And also consider that most new gondola and chairlift systems are speed-sensitive to winds. The higher the winds, the slower the system.

Bdawe · #**568** Posted **Feb 16, 2019, 7:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

I have to wonder what thought, if any, has been given about the operability of a gondola system in severe weather. Take a look at all the shutdowns Whistler has because of high winds. And also consider that most new gondola and chairlift systems are speed-sensitive to winds. The higher the winds, the slower the system.

I would expect that Whistler high winds are of a different scale than SFU high winds, what with the greater elevation and exposure to the squamishes coming down the 99 corridor

aberdeen5698 · #**569** Posted **Feb 17, 2019, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

I have to wonder what thought, if any, has been given about the operability of a gondola system in severe weather.

It may be a toss-up as to which is worse: gondola closures due to wind vs. bus cancellations due to snow...

Aroundtheworld · #**570** Posted **Feb 17, 2019, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

I have to wonder what thought, if any, has been given about the operability of a gondola system in severe weather. Take a look at all the shutdowns Whistler has because of high winds. And also consider that most new gondola and chairlift systems are speed-sensitive to winds. The higher the winds, the slower the system.

Gondolas can handle winds up to 100 km/h. Looking at the historical data, it doesn't seem to have ever gone above 80 km/h. Now, it's important to remember that this was probably recorded at the airport and wind speeds may be higher at Burnaby Mountain. However, I think it's reasonable to say the gondola will have a less of a problem with wind than buses do with snow.

Migrant_Coconut · #**571** Posted **Feb 17, 2019, 7:52 PM**

Extra towers? Shorter spans, less slack to blow around, right?

jollyburger · #**572** Posted **Feb 18, 2019, 2:51 AM**

Quote:

Graber said gondolas can operate in winds up to 45 mph. Other experts put that closer to 60 mph.

Bobby Deskins, a 10Weather WTSP meteorologist, said the Tampa Bay area experiences thunderstorms with lightning about 100 days a year, with average wind gusts of 40 mph.

With those weather conditions in mind, Graber said gondolas can be built as mono-cables or tri-cables, depending on the infrastructure needs, travel distance and size of cabin.

For a Tampa Bay gondola proposal.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/weather-no-worry-for-gondolas-experts-say/2266113

The Squamish gondola can't operate in winds past 40kmh or during outflow winds.

aberdeen5698 · #**573** Posted **Feb 18, 2019, 3:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aroundtheworld

Gondolas can handle winds up to 100 km/h.

Is that the wind speed they can survive or that they can operate under? The two are very different.

jollyburger · #**574** Posted **Feb 18, 2019, 8:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Is that the wind speed they can survive or that they can operate under? The two are very different.

Quote:

These detachable ropeway systems take their names from the number of ropes they use. A bicable gondola lift has a carrying and a hauling rope. A tricable gondola lift has two carrying ropes and one hauling rope. 3S installations can achieve a transport capacity of over 5,000 passengers per hour and a speed up to 7 m/s – so they are able to transport many satisfied passengers. These systems are an attractive alternative for urban transportation because of their low energy consumption, high transport capacities, highest standard of operating safety, the possibility of an extremely wide span between towers and the fact that they perform extremely well in windy conditions - even at high wind speeds of over 100 km/h.

https://www.leitner-ropeways.com/en/company/useful-information/types-of-ropeway/

aberdeen5698 · #**575** Posted **Feb 19, 2019, 5:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://www.leitner-ropeways.com/en/company/useful-information/types-of-ropeway/

According to that site aerial tramways offer the best wind resistance, but I don't see anything that actually says what kinds of winds they can actually operate in...

Migrant_Coconut · #**576** Posted **Feb 19, 2019, 5:39 AM**

A better question is "what kind of winds can we expect around Burnaby Mountain?" No point in yay- or nay-saying based around 100+ km/h if the actual winds are closer to 60-70.

GeeCee · #**577** Posted **Feb 19, 2019, 10:03 AM**

Wind is expressly discussed in the most recent (2018) feasibility study: https://www.translink.ca/-/media/Documen...la/BMGT_Feasibility_Study_04-27-2018.pdf

aberdeen5698 · #**578** Posted **Feb 20, 2019, 5:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeeCee

Wind is expressly discussed in the most recent (2018) feasibility study: https://www.translink.ca/-/media/Documen...la/BMGT_Feasibility_Study_04-27-2018.pdf

Thanks for the link. The PDF mentions that the technology evaluation was based on the assumption that the gondola could operate at full capacity in winds up to 50 km/h, at reduced capacity (i.e., slower) in winds up to 70 km/h, and would have to be shut down if the wind speeds exceeded that (from page 6-1).

GeeCee · #**579** Posted **Feb 20, 2019, 6:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Thanks for the link. The PDF mentions that the technology evaluation was based on the assumption that the gondola could operate at full capacity in winds up to 50 km/h, at reduced capacity (i.e., slower) in winds up to 70 km/h, and would have to be shut down if the wind speeds exceeded that (from page 6-1).

My understanding is that those numbers are for a monocable gondola (MDG), while what is being proposed is a triple cable gondola (3S) system like the one at Whistler-Blackcomb. I don't see specific wind numbers for a 3S system, but: "Benefits of a 3S gondola system include the ability to operate in high wind conditions"

I can only assume that the rated wind speeds for a 3S system are greater than those quoted, since they appear in the alternative technology section. That said, the Whistler-Blackcomb gondola has had some closures due to wind. I see some issues on January 3rd, 2019 according to this article: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/whistler-blackcomb-closure-january-3-2019

s211 · #**580** Posted **Feb 20, 2019, 3:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeeCee

My understanding is that those numbers are for a monocable gondola (MDG), while what is being proposed is a triple cable gondola (3S) system like the one at Whistler-Blackcomb. I don't see specific wind numbers for a 3S system, but: "Benefits of a 3S gondola system include the ability to operate in high wind conditions"

I can only assume that the rated wind speeds for a 3S system are greater than those quoted, since they appear in the alternative technology section. That said, the Whistler-Blackcomb gondola has had some closures due to wind. I see some issues on January 3rd, 2019 according to this article: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/whistler-blackcomb-closure-january-3-2019

Some? Frequent, actually.