Riding public transit can be an overwhelmingly positive experience. You don’t have to drive in traffic, you get to read your favourite book, and you can save money. However, any regular transit rider knows that once in a while, something always happens which gives you that urge to just vent out a little (or a...
Mike sends along the following scan a direct mail advertisement from Denver’s Regional Transportation Authority. You can see the full narrative after the jump:
While watching the London Olympics this week, it reminded me of how I’ve always dreamed of being an Olympian. But given my limited athletic prowess during my childhood years, those aspirations were immediately crushed and I’ve largely come to terms with myself that I’ll never run the 100m in under 10 seconds or score a...
From a technical standpoint, we know that urban gondolas can provide many distinct advantages (think low headways, high capacities and etc.). But what about the less tangible technological benefits? We often argue that cable transit has the ability to appeal to the psychological and emotional aspects of riding transit. Now as a case in point,...
Most people living in the first world are some of the luckiest individuals on the planet. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t suffer from our own “first world problems”. One such challenge we face is the high rates of obesity in children and adults. In 2010, reports estimated that nearly 50% of the population in...
Parking for many of us in North America is often taken for granted, particularly for those who reside in the sprawling suburbs. By-laws generally ensure that parking is ample and built to accommodate peak parking demand. However in many places around the world parking is a scarce commodity, especially in economically rising cities where car...
Ostensibly, I’m supposed to be something of a specialist in the (cough) art and science of using ski lifts as mass public transit. Would it surprise you, then, to learn that for the vast majority of my life I hated skiing? Seriously. It terrified me. If I’m honest with myself, it still kinda’ does. People...
Ever wonder what bikers look like when you take away the bike? They sort of look like people who are learning to ride a broom stick, while falling over… Upon discovering these works by Chinese photographer, Zhao Huasen, I immediately set off on a Google searching frenzy for other modes of invisible transit. Here’s what...
In some non-gondola, transit related news, we happened to stumble across what has to be one of my favourite transport contraptions ever realized by man — the Beer Bike. With a ride on bar, you get to kill two birds (or three) with one stone: exercise, reduce carbon emissions, and have a drink. Why this idea...
The tower infrastructure associated with cable transit is justifiably maligned. It’s utilitarian and rarely pretty. But it doesn’t have to be. Last year, the Royal Institute of British Architects tackled this very issue through their Pylon Design Competition. Now granted, that competition was specifically targeted towards electricity transmission towers, but the same applies here. (Note,...