germany « The Gondola Project

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10
Apr

2015

Weekly Roundup: Urban Zoo Gondola Mooted in Halle, Germany

View from Bergzoo’s observation tower (Halle, Germany). Image by Flickr user Manu.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:

Urban Zoo Cable Car Concept (Halle, Germany)
Halle, a city of 230,000 in the Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state, invited three ropeway manufacturers to further examine its cable car concept. Plans are preliminary, but the proposal seeks to improve access and rider experience to Bergzoo, the city’s zoological garden on its picturesque Reilsberg Hill.

Winter Resorts Attract Summer Visitors
Ski resorts are no longer closing their doors for summer. Many US ski areas now offer loads of outdoor activities from hiking, ziplining and rope courses to gondola rides, encouraging year-round visits.

Algerian City to Get a Cable Car?
Jijel, a city of 130,000 residents in the Algeria’s northeast, may soon have its own urban cable car. A study is underway for a 1.4km system connecting the city of Ayouf to Ville a la Maison de la Culture.

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05
Dec

2014

Weekly Roundup: Green Line (Linea Verde) Opens in La Paz; CPT Proposed for Paris’ business district

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A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:

The Green Line (Linea Verde) in La Paz-El Alto officially opened for service yesterday. If that’s not exciting enough, President Evo Morales announced that contracts for 5 more urban cable car lines, totalling $450 million, will be signed in January 2015! A portion of profits from the three existing cable car lines will be used to build the new gondolas that would expand the system considerably.
Europe’s largest purpose-built business district, La Defense in Paris, is once again planning to install an urban cable car, an idea that dates back to the 1990s. The proposed system would connect to Défense 1, Grande Arche de la Defense, Arena 92 and the Groues district.

In a recent interview, the mayor of Marburg, Germany spoke about the Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) line proposed for his city. It appears that a feasibility study has already been completed, but the results have not yet been released.

Univers-Nature, a French website dedicated to sustainability and green living, has picked up on the urban gondola movement in France. The brief article underlines the qualities that have attracted many cities to the idea of cable propelled transit — that, aside from being less expensive than a tram or subway, an urban gondola creates less of an environmental footprint and offers carbon offset advantages.

And if your trek to work is making you feel a little down today, check out these photos of some of the most jam-packed commutes in the world. We’re not quite sure why they put up a picture of Line Red from La Paz as their main photo, other than to incite jealousy.

Algerian online TV show Dzair took viewers on a joyride aboard the new téléphérique Oued Koriche-Bouzaréah.

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14
Nov

2014

Weekly Roundup: Chile Announces Three Urban Cable Cars for Valparaiso, Antofagasta and Iquique

Antofagasta Teleferico Proposal. Image from Gob.cl.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet recently announced the country’s ambitious Public Transit Infrastructure Investment Plan (Plan de Inversiones en Infraestructura del Transporte Público). Fourteen major transportation measures were reported, including the implementation of cable cars in Valparaiso, Antofagasta and Iquique. The total investment for these projects is a massive US$4.2 billion. A summary of the entire plan can be viewed here.

Antofagasta announced its enormous US$173 million cable car proposal. Based on current figures it will be 12.9km in length and with a capacity of 3,000 pphpd. The city hopes to finish its phase 2 studies by April 2015 and have the system up and running by 2017-2018.

The German city of Marburg is reportedly considering the implementation of a Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) system that would link commuters from downtown to several university institutions. This urban cable car is estimated to cost €35-50 million and would transport 20,000 people per day. Some residents have voiced concerns over privacy and disruption of the cityscape, while students welcome the opportunity for a faster and more pleasant commute.

The Constantine Téléphérique (Cable Car) in Algeria will undergo maintenance for the next 2 weeks as crews inspect the system’s main towers and ropes.

Bursa, one of the largest cities in Turkey, appears to be studying the implementation of an urban cable system. They hope that a CPT line will improve urban traffic and enhance connectivity to the city centre.

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01
Aug

2014

Weekly Roundup: Hamburg Residents to Vote on Fate of Urban Cable Car Proposal

Hamburg Seilbahn. Image from http://www.hamburger-seilbahn.de/.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas and cable propelled transit:

In just a few weeks time (August 24 to be exact), residents of Hamburg, Germany will visit the polls to vote for or against an urban cable car. If the referendum for a gondola is successful, the €35 million system will be built by Doppelmayr and will cost €6 per adult and €3 per child.

Originally scheduled to open in August, La Paz’s Yellow Line has experienced a slight delay and will not be operational until September. Out of the system’s 31 towers, all but 4 have been built.

South African travel magazine, IOL, takes readers behind the scenes to the Table Mountain Cableway. The cable lift has been closed for maintenance since Monday and will not resume operations until August 11.

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21
Feb

2014

Weekly Roundup: 2017 International Garden Show in Berlin Secures Cable Car Investor

Kienberg in Berlin, Germany. Image from Wikipedia.

A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of cable cars, urban gondolas, and cable propelled transit:

Organizers for the 2017 International Garden Show in Berlin have finally found an investor for its cable car. The system will be built entirely with private funds and will take passengers from New Grottkauer Station to Kienberg.

Ulrich Burchardt, Mayor of Konstanz (Germany), has proposed a CPT system for his city of 80,000. The concept was first publicly announced in late 2013 and looks to connect a car park near Schänzle to the historical city centre.

The Red Line on La Paz’s cable car network continues to undergo testing. Technicians from Austria arrived several weeks ago to assist with commissioning. The system is scheduled to open in April.

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11
Sep

2012

The Traffic Light Countdown Pong Game

Do you remember the piano stairs in Sweden that got people to choose the stairs over the escalator? And not just some people, but 66% more people. That’s because while taking the escalator is easier than climbing the stairs, playing a piano with your feet is infinitely more fun than standing on a stair that moves slowly, predictably, and always at a different pace than the hand rail.

So fun can change behavior. At least that is the whole idea behind The Fun Theory.

Maybe crossing the street should be more fun.

What’s fun about getting stuck at a red light when you’re trying to cross the street? Nothing.
Could it disuade you from walking somewhere? Maybe.
What if that time could be spent more enjoyably…?

Two students at HAWK Hildesheim in Germany have developed a concept that takes those useful but tedious countdown pedestrian traffic lights to a new level. At most crosswalks (at least at the ones I’ve encountered) there is a counter that lets people know how much time they have before a red light, and then once the traffic light turns red, you’re stuck waiting around twiddling your thumbs, and maybe frantically pushing the crosswalk button in hopes that the light changes sooner.

Sandro Engel and Holger Michel’s new pong game / countdown concept does two things. First it visually shows how much time is left for the green light and it also shows how much longer the red light will last. But really more importantly, or at least more interestingly, they’ve turned the waiting period into game time.

And not just any game, but a classic game of (skateboard) pong that is played on a touch screen against someone waiting on the other side of the street. This idea is just a concept at the moment but the video really demonstrates how it works.

The Traffic Light Countdown Pong Game strikes me as total fun theory. As a life-time jay-walker traffic pong would get me to cross at the crosswalk (at least sometimes.) It may also encourage people to go for a walk instead of a quick drive to the store. And for those pedestrians who sprint across the street just as the light is changing, maybe this could persuade them to just wait on the curb for an extra 30 seconds.

As the youtube caption says, “these should be everywhere.”

Just For Fun / Proposals & Concepts / Public Engagement & Community Outreach

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06
Feb

2012

Kiel Harbour Gondola (Stadtseilbahn, Kiel)

Jan sends along this interesting lead:

The Kiel Harbour Gondola (Stadtseilbahn, Kiel). Image via wikimedia.

I’d like to point you to a tiny CPT that once operated in my hometown Kiel (Germany), as it seems there are no English sources about it and it might be of interest for you.

It was a landmark and attraction in town as it was quite unique. It was installed by the owner of a department store to make a parking garage, that was located on the other side of the Old Harbour, more accessible. It spanned an enormous distance of ~140 meters, had two gondolas for 15 people each and one journey took about 70 seconds.

I suppose its one of the earliest urban CPT’s. It was opened in 1974 and transported nearly 3 Mio. people until it was closed in 1991 for financial reasons, although many people and the city tried to change the new owner’s mind. As it was free, it was quite popular: there are reports of 50m long queues at certain times.

But in the end the owner didn’t want to replace the old cable. And the staff costs were probably to high for the owner, as there was some sort of “cabin boy” aboard.

Thanks so much for this, Jan!

As so many of our readers are from German-speaking countries, it would be great if some of them could help gather more details on this system. Please put any information you find in the comments.

Installations / Kiel Harbour Gondola / Uncategorized

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The Gondola Project

Posts Tagged: germany

Weekly Roundup: Urban Zoo Gondola Mooted in Halle, Germany

Weekly Roundup: Green Line (Linea Verde) Opens in La Paz; CPT Proposed for Paris’ business district

Weekly Roundup: Chile Announces Three Urban Cable Cars for Valparaiso, Antofagasta and Iquique

Weekly Roundup: Hamburg Residents to Vote on Fate of Urban Cable Car Proposal

Weekly Roundup: 2017 International Garden Show in Berlin Secures Cable Car Investor

The Traffic Light Countdown Pong Game

Kiel Harbour Gondola (Stadtseilbahn, Kiel)

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