The Table Mountain Cableway, one of only 3 rotating Aerial Trams in the world. Image by geoftheref.
The Table Mountain Cableway in Cape Town, South Africa is an Aerial Tram with a twist (sorry): It slowly rotates 360° during its ascent and descent. It’s one of only 3 systems in the world that does this; the other two being the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in California and the Titlis Rotair in central Switzerland.
So what does a rotating Aerial Tram accomplish on a larger scale? Not much. It does exactly the same thing as other Aerial Trams plus it rotates. The feature is Pure Novelty, nothing more. Pure Novelty is great for tourist installations. I’d probably argue that the more Pure Novelty that exists in a tourist installation, the better.
Yet in an urban installation Pure Novelty is a waste of time and resources. People want to get from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible and probably don’t care about things like spinning trams. Practical Novelties, however, present a whole other opportunity to add value to a rider’s experience.
Practical Novelties are those things that genuinely improve a product’s usability but are not directly related to its function:
- On board Wi-Fi.
- Mail and courier drop boxes.
- Cup holders.
- Cell Phone charge stations.
- Coffee kiosks.
- Bike racks.
Standard transit technologies have almost completely ignored how Practical Novelties can improve riders’ experience. The cost-effectiveness and ease of customization that cable presents, however, means Practical Novelties can and should become a standard feature of the industry’s offerings.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
