Gondolas - A new method to solve mass transit in cities?

[zilfondel]

Portland's Tram:













^ wikipedia commons

[Steven Dale]

Hey all,

I'm big into Cable Propelled Transit (CPT), if anyone's interested. I recently started www.gondolaproject.com as a means to help people learn about the technology. A quick glance around the internet will show you that there's virtually no publicly accessible research available on the topic of urban gondolas and cable propelled transit (CPT).

I started working with the technology three years ago, and I've been touring systems around the world and developing a body of research on the matter. I'll continue touring installations for the next year as well.

It would be impossible to address everyone's concerns in one post, but just let me say this: Cable is remarkably flexible, safe, fast and cheap. I was stunned myself to learn these things, but they're a fact. If anyone has any specific questions about the tech, you can ask me here or you could head on over to www.gondolaproject.com and submit questions in the comments section.

One thing I'm trying to do with the site is not just have me pontificating about the virtues of the technology. Instead, I'd really love to see people get involved and excited about the technology. Skeptics are incredibly welcome.

I'm really excited to see this topic generate the interest that it did.

[Rail>Auto]

I would like to see the Bubbles N Beams concept incorporated into a PRT system where pods go above and below the guideway.

[BnSwiss]

it would be interesting to see a city planed around gondolas like in dubai or something where it could connect high-rises by the 20th floor and stuff it could be very cool. I think it is very practical in urban settings the poles dont take up that much space and they can really go almost anywhere. Its space effective like a suspended monorail yet not nearly as expensive I think colorado should do this also as a means of mass transit not just for tourists. I think this should be examined as an alternative to streetcars in some cases as well.

[fieldsofdreams]

I think Hong Kong has already a tram that acts as a gondola climbing up Victoria Peak from its base in Central that brings commuters and tourists up and down Hong Kong Island, and I think this solution would be best if the conditions are right, including:

- Steep hills or valleys that road construction and bus transit may be next to impossible;
- Long waterways that can be a challenge to road building or making a new bridge; or
- An overcrowded Downtown core that has limited space for growth and development

I think that gondolas would be a great idea to add as a public transportation mode, but, the issue with this one would be the power source (not all can come from clean energy), fares (can be significantly higher due to initial capital costs), and maintenance (short- and long-term) .

[mhays]

I tried the Roosevelt Island gondola in New York recently. Great fun. Of course it exists because there's no bridge from Manhattan. One interesting aspectwas that while the west end is about 30' up, the east end is at ground level, on a slight rise.

[Chicago103]

Chicago's flirtation with this idea at the 1933-1934 Century of Progress World's Fair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Ride

[Wizened Variations]

Aha! The Skyride at the Centry of Progress Exposition 1933 is a different, highly workable beast, and the idea is not new, yet is simply "brilliant."

The gondola is tethered below a fairly rigid cabling system that itself is suspended like the roadway might be under a suspension bridge. The cabliing setup is put under pension but not undue rigidity, i.e., the gondola is hung downwards from a giving 'roadway."

Some very nice attributes:

A) The sprung mass of a supporting cabling system is much less then that of a reinforced steel, asphalt, and, concrete roadway that is suspenended (square cube law works here too).

B) The sectional area cutting into the wind is a fraction (depending on cabling setup/very light large suspended
"U" track, etc) of that of rectolinear road section wind loads , further reducing the need for supportive structural mass.

C) As the deflection produced by the suspended mass between supports needs far less deflection, the speeds can be much higher.

With CADCAM, a good dose of mental sweat, and, a little understanding of physics this concept would work very well now.

Cable cars traveling at 50 or 60 km/h?

[Roadcruiser1]

Maybe they could build a Gondola (Aerial Tram) between Manhattan, and Governor's Island.

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by Roadcruiser1

Maybe they could build a Gondola (Aerial Tram) between Manhattan, and Governor's Island.

Very workable using about 5-10% of the material of a pedestrian/motorcycle suspension bridge, IMO.

You could lower the costs even more if the maritime traffic permitted between Manhattan and Governor's Island had fairly low "mast height limits."

[SpongeG]

Vancouver - Burnaby is planning or thinking of a gondola/tram to link the m-line skytrain and burnaby mountain/SFU

http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Docu...%20Boards.ashx

London, UK is also planning or looking at a sky gondola

http://gondolaproject.com/2010/11/08...rban-gondolas/