Is transit about form or function? For the last couple of weeks that has very much been the debate over at Human Transit (here, here and here); Form, in the guise of “fun” and “glamour” has been characterized as an unnecessary frill that caters mostly to tourists. Function (“usefulness” and “availability), meanwhile has been cast...
Oregon’s Daily Journal of Commerce has an utterly fascinating and informative article here about the replacement of the Portland Aerial Tram’s haul rope. The team that conducted the rope replacement did so in mid air on an aerial staircase known as a splicing bridge. They’ve even got a picture of it. It’s a great read....
(Today’s is a guest post by planner Michael D. Setty. Big thanks to Michael for taking the time to prepare this column for The Gondola Project’s readers – SD.) EIGHT MILLION ANNUAL VISITORS CLOG MISSOURI TOWN OF 7,000. Branson, Missouri is the “Country Music Capitol” of the U.S. Midwest, catering to more than eight million...
Recently the Chinese motor company Geely showcased their Gleagle IG concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show. This three-seater is made of steel, is equipped with a solar panel hood and will cost only $2,250 USD. It’s said to be the cheapest car on the planet, 10% cheaper even than the Tata Nano (formerly the...
This is one of the most inspiring transit-related videos I’ve come across in a while. Mukhtar is a bus driver in Cophenhagen, Denmark. On May 5th, his riders decided to celebrate his birthday for him: A few observations: The bus has free wi-fi (0:13). The trumpet player and his posse do not seem to pay...
Pulsed Gondolas are a semi-rare subset of the CPT universe and generally not appropriate for mass transit installations. Most were built in the mid to late 20th century, and it’s uncommon to find pulsed systems built nowadays.
A while back I wrote a post soliciting people to contribute their own Cable Propelled Transit conceptual ideas. Aside from some uptake from the good people over at neoHouston, there was little interest. No wonder: I never offered my own conceptual. Kinda’ hypocritical, huh? So, without further ado . . . Here’s how I’d use...
The above map is the Caracas Metro System. Metro de Caracas, of course, is one of the few transit systems in the world to utilize a Cable Propelled Transit (they call it the Metrocable) system. Look closely at the map and you’ll see all the other CPT lines Metro de Caracas has planned. All eight of...
According to a recent poll by the World Wildlife Fund, many “Canadians would rather give up junk food, coffee, television and, some of them, sex rather than park their cars.” Read the whole Toronto Star article. I’m not sure Public Transit is willing to accept this. They’re too busy denying that people actually like cars....
Over at Human Transit, Jarrett Walker has an excellent post called Transit and the Hierarchy of Needs. In it, he explores Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs and its relationship to public transit. His argument boils down to this: People will only care about high-order transit concerns such as urban design and technology choice once their lower-order...