We live in a marketplace of ideas, and right now cars win because that idea is better than what public transit has on offer. It isn’t better for everyone, but it’s better for most. That might change in the future, but right now, that’s the game. You want to get people out of their cars? Provide...
The following is an update on the Palmylink gondola proposal by Ryan O’Connor, the promotor and champion of Palmylink. Palmylink is a proposed 3.2km aerial ropeway system and transit orientated development (TOD) in Palmerston North, Zealand. It is to link the Central Business District and Massey University. It would have 4 terminal stations (one of...
Last week’s post about six common uses for steel cables generated significant conversation and questions about the cables themselves. One question that was not asked, however, was how a company goes about splicing the two ends of a cable into one continuous loop. I’m told this is one of the most impressive aspects of a...
One of my favorite websites in the world is the satirical newspaper, The Onion. Its commentary is such a spot-on accurate depiction of how the world works, it’s oftentimes a more reliable source of news and commentary than our traditional sources. An absolute favorite article (from 2000) is titled Report: 98 Percent of U.S.Commuters Favor...
A QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE STATISTICS THAT MAKE YOUR CITIES WORK (OR NOT): Average lifespan of an American building: 74 years Average lifespan of a British building: 132 years Average lifespan of a Chinese building: 30 years Kilometers of traffic in Beijing: 100 Days of continuous traffic: 10 Cars stuck: 10,000 % of...
Last week, a variety of news outlets (Associated Press, CBC, New York Times, The Drudge Retort and dozens of others) reported on a massive 100 km long traffic jam outside Beijing, China. The jam lasted ten days and stretched into Inner Mongolia only to ‘vanish’ seemingly overnight. Of all the reports on this story, the one that caught...
Payvand Iran News reports that Iran is to begin construction on the world’s longest gondola system in the city of Orumieh this Saturday. The system (or the report) is too strange for words. The tourist system is to be 36 km long and would be made up of three separate sections. If the vehicles pass...
Colombia Reports is reporting that Medellin’s Metrocable Linea K has been suspended due to damage from gunfire. It seems that recent economic troubles in Colombia coupled with increasing tensions between the La Agonia and La Divisa gangs exploded on Tuesday in a hail of bullets. The neighborhood of Santo Domingo (where Linea K exists) was...
Somehow this one seems to have slipped under our collective radar: Nick sends us a link to an urban cable transit system in Chongqing, China. Seems like an old Aerial Tram system with scant details. Since The Gondola Project readers have been so good at drumming up information on little known systems, maybe you all would...
What if the cable snaps? It’s as common a question as how does cable handle winter? I can somewhat understand the concern about a snapping cable. After all, not only would it endanger those online, it could be devastating to the people on the ground. And yet, it’s a concern that history judges to be...