#Urban Design

Apr 14, 2010
History, Just For Fun, Light Rail & Streetcars, Oddities, San Francisco Streetcars, Uncategorized, Urban Planning & Design

Zombie Streetcars & Transit Bling

I am decidedly against the City of Toronto’s decision to purchase almost 2 billion one-and-a-quarter billion dollars worth of new streetcars/light rail. And my problem with the decision has absolutely nothing to do with my position on CPT. I recognize that CPT is not a technology for all environs and I recognize that streetcar technology has...

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Apr 09, 2010
Monorails, Oddities, Wuppertal Schwebebahn

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn

In the central German city of Wuppertal is a piece of transit infrastructure completely unique in the world. Translated directly, the Wuppertal Schwebebahn means “floating railway” and it’s easy to see how it received it’s name. Built in 1900, the Shwebebahn in the oldest monorail on the planet and an elegant piece of transit history...

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Apr 08, 2010
Gondola, Urban Planning & Design

Tomorrow’s Urban Gondola

All images courtesy of the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. Design by Johannes Geisler.

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Apr 01, 2010
Just For Fun, Thoughts

Children, Transit & Play Trains

When I was a child, my mother had a very simple rule when we were taking public transit:  If I misbehaved, we walked . . . no matter how far from home we were.  I knew perfectly well that my mother didn’t want to walk home any more than I did so one day I...

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Mar 31, 2010
Urban Planning & Design

Cable Transit In Edinburgh?

Please take the time to visit Maria Mysliborska’s wonderful Master’s Thesis Page. It’s a beautiful page that suggests how academic theses will likely be developed and submitted in the future. Maria’s plan is an elegant redevelopment of Edinburgh’s derelict waterfront. Among the highlights of the plan are a local public transit circulator using (you guessed it)...

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Mar 29, 2010
Analysis, Gondola, Grindelwald First, Installations, Research Issues, Thoughts, Urban Planning & Design

Tiny Observations & Cable Propelled Transit

We can use ski lifts as transit!?! That’s a Eureka Moment and one that’s been happening to the urban transit community for the last 10 years. It’s big, it’s profound and it’s exciting. It’s also unwieldily and awkward because too much has been left uncovered and left unsaid. There are too many questions, too many...

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Mar 25, 2010
Caracas Metrocable, Caracas Mount Avila, Gondola, Urban Planning & Design

Medellin/Caracas, Part 7

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed something problematic about the Caracas Metrocable: The stations are enormous. We’re not talking about just “big” here. We’re talking about “big enough for Cirque du Soleil to perform in.” This is because the stations themselves are not really stations at all. Whut? Exactly. In actuality, the Caracas...

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Mar 24, 2010
Just For Fun, Urban Planning & Design

Cable Propelled Transit in Houston

The above image was created by Andrew Burleson over at Neohouston.com. It’s a conceptual/theoretical CPT line he designed for a poorly-serviced area of Houston. Conceptual transit lines are a cottage industry for the transit enthusiast and hobbyist. They’re wonderful and exciting and they’re everywhere. I think every major city has a few people who do...

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Mar 23, 2010
Caracas Metrocable, Gondola, Urban Planning & Design

Medellin/Caracas, Part 6

Like the Medellin Metrocable, the Caracas Metrocable is a MDG system, the most basic of aerial Cable Propelled Transit technologies. It is fully-integrated into the local Metro system, has a maximum operating speed of 18 km/hr, a capacity of 3,000 pphpd and is 1.8 km long. Vehicles can carry 8 sitters and 2 standees. The...

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Mar 22, 2010
Caracas Metrocable, Gondola

Medellin/Caracas, Part 5

The Caracas Metrocable, Introduction Imitation, they say, is the greatest form of flattery. And if that’s the case, then Caracas is clearly smitten with Medellin. Inspired by Medellin’s incredibly positive experience with Cable Propelled Transit, Venezuela has embarked on their own CPT campaign, beginning first in the capital city of Caracas. Like Medellin, Caracas exists...

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