Posts Tagged: BDG

30
Jul

2012

This Week’s Tweak — The BDG page

In an effort to continually improve and expand the offerings on The Gondola Project, each week we’re rolling out a “tweak” to the site. If there’s a part of the website you’d like to see “tweaked” send us an email at gondola (at) creativeurbanprojects (dot) com.

 

As part of last week’s tweak we updated the MDG page, so for this week we’ve added a new cable to the mix and voila, we now have an updated BDG page.

You can find the updated BDG page here, or from the Learn the Basics page. As always, more pages coming soon!



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31
May

2011

Urban Gondola Transit as Minivan?

Advancements in 3S and MDG technology have largely eliminated the need for Funitel and BDG technologies. If you’re considering a Funitel, you might as well go with a 3S. The 3S is faster, with higher potential capacity and reasonably similar capital costs. A 3S also doesn’t incur the high energy consumption cost that’s typical of the Funitel technology.

Similarly, the BDG’s only real advantage over the MDG is a moderately higher maximum speed (27 km/hr versus 22 km/hr), without any real capacity or wind stability improvements. Not surprisingly, however, the BDG has a higher capital and O&M cost than the MDG. If you’re considering the BDG, you’re therefore likely to opt for the MDG in the end.

That leaves us with a low-end market technology (the MDG) and a high-end market technology (the 3S). But what about the middle-market?

The curious thing about markets like Burnaby Mountain and Calgary are that the environmental conditions there are such that the wind stability offered by the 3S make it the logical choice.

However when you look at the capacity, speed and cost factors in both those situations, an MDG would suffice fine. Both cities would be more than content with an MDG system were it not for the needed wind stability. In fact, wind stability is the only reason for either of these cities to actually opt for the 3S. Is that worth the extra cost?

Let’s be clear, cost is a major impediment to implementation. At a price point of 2-3 times that of an MDG, it becomes much harder for a city to justify implementing a 3S over a more standard transit technology. However, with a wind stability threshold 30% lower than a 3S, it becomes impossible for many cities to implement an MDG.

See the problem?

You may not need all the bells and whistles of a 3S, but the one bell-and-whistle you do need (wind stability) the MDG doesn’t possess. You therefore must opt for the 3S.

So here’s the challenge and opportunity for the industry: Design a technology priced somewhere between an MDG and 3S system (in both capital and O&M costs) that offers the capacity and speed of an MDG but the wind stability of a 3S.

Think of it as the Minivan of cable transit:

"Seating for eight people at the price of a family-sized sedan? No way!"



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.

30
May

2011

Urban Gondola Transit Technology Revisions: BDG

As we move into the slow summer months, we thought it appropriate to take the time and make revisions to the various lessons, modules and primer pieces available on The Gondola Project. The revisions we’re making correct some of the errors and omissions that resulted from creating an online primer text using 20 year old literature to understand a technology that virtually no one actually understands.

Particularly as some of these posts are a-year-and-a-half old (has it really been that long?), we felt it essential to review materials and make sure that what we said then matches what we know now.

As such, we’re trying our best to use the most current and accurate information and data we can get our hands on. At the same time, opinions in the industry vary greatly about what the variety of cable transit technologies can and cannot do and these opinions are often in opposition to one another.

Therefore, please understand that The Gondola Project is meant solely as a guide and should not be relied upon as a lone source of information.

If there are any pages or posts you’d like to see revised, corrected or revisited, please send us an email at gondola (at) creativeurbanprojects (dot) com, or leave us a comment below.

The first revision we’ve made is our BDG Module, which we feel was the primer text most in need of revisions, updates and corrections.



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.