Tactic 6 is the most important because it increases both perceived and actual levels of safety for all because riders can self-segregate as they see fit. It is also a tactic that only CPT can offer. The reason cable alone can offer this is simple: Drivers are too busy driving to be attendants. And if you...
For the last 3 months, myself and a team of 9 students from Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning have been working through the implications of what cable transit could mean for their city. A week-and-a-half ago, the team presented their findings in front of their colleagues, faculty and a 5-person panel of...
We all do stupid things. Constantly. Wouldn’t it be nice to have something that prevents those things? Forcing Functions are a principle of industrial and interactive design that shapes human behavior in order to prevent error when using a machine, interface or system. They are functions that – quite literally – force us to behave...
These images just landed in my inbox and I wanted to share them with everyone because I think they’re pretty special and inspiring. The first two are more from a series of renderings by Austrian design student, Johannes Geisler. You can see more of his designs here. The final image is a new rendering of...
I was recently confronted with an argument against Cable Propelled Transit which I’d never heard before and it intrigued me. Okay, maybe it wasn’t an argument exactly, but it was certainly a challenge: Is it a wise idea to investigate another new transit technology? Given how long it currently takes for government to decide upon,...
Nowaday’s, it’s easy to be partisan. In fact, it might even be a requirement. The Light Rail boys have LightRailNow. The bicycle crew’s got Probicycle. Bus Rapid Transit has the National BRT Institute. High Speed Rail has the AHSRA. The PRT posse’s got Citizens for Personal Rapid Transit. Trolley Bus fans have these guys. Paratransit’s...
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...
I’d like to congratulate Andrew Burleson, Dean Hall and David Morris over at neoHOUSTON for their Cable Propelled Challenge. The challenge was a quick and dirty design competition to see where neoHOUSTON’S readers would install a CPT system. Given the short turn-around time, it was impressive to see a half-dozen quality submissions. Congratulations to Danny...
It’s only a matter of time before someone builds an urban gondola or Cable Propelled Transit system in your world. It’s only a matter of when, where and whose first. I know this because I read dozens of documents and reports from amateurs and professionals alike, answer a fair bit of email and listen to...
A thought experiment: In the very near future, a global network of engineers, planners, scientists and policy-makers develop the most advanced form of public transit the world’s ever known. It runs solely on renewable resources. It carries tens of thousands of people. It doesn’t stop at intermediary stations. The vehicles themselves are 100% recyclable. It...