The Gondola Project
2010
What happens when you plan for the future using assumptions from the present?
Well, for one Swiss water engineer, you get a whole lot of sh*t. Or as he likes to call it, “sediment.” Let me explain:
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2010
As some of you already know, CUP Projects runs a Gondola Project Flickr Pool of images. Problem is, these pools are unwieldily beasts. Ours already has over 800 images in it and if we really put our minds to it, it could reach into the thousands.
Very hard to search, very hard to organize, very hard to use. It’s basically a shoebox with no order or logic. Moreover, plenty of wonderful images get lost in the shuffle due to copyright restrictions.
So to improve the functionality of our Flickr integration, we’ve started to use Flickr Galleries. Each gallery is a collection of up to 18 images curated under a specific theme. This way, we can group images in a variety of ways and offer commentary on the images. It also allows us to bring attention to wonderful, beautiful images that you’d otherwise not see on this site while still respecting the owners’ copyright.
This should make for a quicker, faster, easier and more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Right now we’ve only got 5 galleries created, but we’ll add to them over time. This is going to take a lot of time, however, so we’d love to have your help. If you’ve got a Flickr account (basic accounts are free), have a few minutes a week to spare and want to help, please drop us an email at gondola (a) creativeurbanprojects (dot) com to find out how you can pitch in. Alternatively, just send us some FlickrMail from within Flickr itself.
Check out our Image Gallery page, to grab the links to the various collections!
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2010
Bus Rapid Transit vs. Light Rail Transit. Currently that’s the major transit debate in the english-speaking world.
Each have their advocates and their detractors and each have their own list of positives and negatives. And each want each other’s share of the market.
Problem is, BRT and LRT aren’t the only combatants. While BRT and LRT duke it out with each other, they both have to contend with the private automobile driver who doesn’t want to see an inch of road space given over to public transit, especially via semi-private rights-of-way.
The private automobile lobby is strong and large simply by virtue of sheer numbers. The vast majority of commuters use private vehicles, not public transit. This means BRT and LRT must also contend with politicians, justifiably frightened that a new light rail or bus corridor will hurt their prospects in upcoming elections.
I suspect drivers aren’t against public transit; they just don’t want to see it clogging roads and increasing already long travel times. It’s hard to argue against that.
So why not take the High Road? It’s difficult to imagine drivers arguing against CPT, given that the technology frees up road space. My guess is, drivers would probably rally behind the idea.
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2010
I steadfastly support online file-sharing and streaming sites, legal or otherwise. iTunes? That’s great, too.
I support these services because I refuse to pay for television channels and shows that I don’t watch (or album tracks I don’t listen to). And because it is near impossible to use a cable television service that doesn’t force you to purchase shows and channels you don’t watch through ‘bundles,’ I’ve chosen to take my business to the pirates.
Pirates let you watch what you want and I like that.
The same goes for telecom companies. My internet service provider forces me to pay for a cable television connection even though I don’t even own a television! Their only major competitor, meanwhile, has a company policy to only provide internet service to those customers who already have a landline with them.
Ideas and principles are often the same. If you are pro-transit, you’re expected to be anti-bus, pro-light rail, and anti-car. It’s hard to be pro-transit and pro-car at the same time because the Bundle of Transit Ideals says that’s not a possible configuration.
You may only subscribe to our Pro-Transit Service if you first purchase our Anti-Car System.
We’re sorry, Good Quality Transit is not available to users of Strong, Competitive Markets.
Our Fast, Available and Efficient package? Hmmm? No, that only comes with our Private Automobile subscription.
Well what if your worldview doesn’t conform to their Bundle of Ideals? Where do you go? My guess, again, is to go with the pirates. Go with the people on the edges because they’ll let you pick whatever Bundle of Ideals you want. They’re not in it for the control.
So here’s the deal: If you want to be Pro-Cable, do it. You want to be Pro-Anything-Else, you can do that too. Anti-Something? Not a problem. Starting today, Cable Propelled Transit is Bundle-Free.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
2010
Last week the Toronto Star carried an article titled Free Metropasses latest Condo Perk. The title suggests a pleasant surprise; a quality gesture designed to enhance the lives of Torontonians. It is a ‘perk’ after all.
Problem is, this is no perk. This is a City-mandated program which in essence triples the price of Metropasses for new condo purchasers in Toronto. Let me explain:
The new program forces condominium developers in high-density areas of Toronto to provide a year’s supply of transit passes to purchasers of units in new developments as of April 28th. Howard Moscoe, the City Councillor who introduced the policy says its “a carrot that will get people onto public transit.”
Developers, however, will bury the cost of those Metropasses (and their related administration costs) into the price of the condo units. Here’s where the problem comes in.
According to the TTC, the annual cost of a Metropass in Toronto is $1,068. According to Stephen Dupuis of the Building Industry and Land Development Association this will add a systemic cost of $1,400 to each new unit.
Now, let’s amortize that price over the lifespan of a typical mortgage . . . See where I’m going with this? Because the price of the Metropass is now built into the price of a new home, it becomes subject to the mortgage interest.
Using the TD Canada Trust Mortgage Calculator, let’s assume monthly payments, a 6.65% interest rate and a 30-year payment schedule. Monthly mortgage payments on that single Metropass therefore work out to $8.90, meaning that the price of this $1,068 Metropass balloons to $3,204, triple the original price.
Whether you’re pro-transit or not, I don’t see how anyone can think this is a good idea. It basically punishes those people who should be rewarded for choosing transit-friendly, dense, urban living.
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2010
The other day I was pretty hard on Aerial Trams for being obsolete, expensive and inefficient members of the cable transit family. Because of their place in history, however, many of the most iconic and important cable transit systems ever built were Aerial Trams, a point I failed to mention. Here are 6 of them:
The Vanoise Express in France. Image by hchalkley at flickr.
One of the world’s only double-decker Aerial Trams, this Dual Shuttle system in France can carry a whopping 200 people in each cabin! Opened in 2003, the system was shut down in 2007 for repairs after a vehicle operator failed to slow the vehicle down upon entering the station. The accident caused no injuries and the system was reopened the following season. Read more
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2010
Trying to write a post each day about cable transit and urban gondolas is exhausting. There’s so much more in the world of transportation that’s worth talking about, but just isn’t within the purview of this site. As such, I get my fix from other sites like Jarrett Walker’s excellent Human Transit blog.
Jarrett’s blog contains a wealth of information and insight and is great at cutting through the garbage. He provides strong global analysis, particularly when it comes to comparisons between transit technologies. His streetcars vs light rail post is a great example. He also manages to avoid the partisan bickering that is so irritating about most transit blogs nowadays.
I recently solicited Jarrett’s opinion about cable (via email) because his hometown is Portland, home of the Portland Aerial Tram. Among other things, Jarrett had this to say:
I’m not for or against gondolas (or aerial trams as I’ve heard them called). There is clearly a category of steep hillclimbing problems for which they’re the best tool . . . As near as I can tell, one of the major negatives of gondolas is the extreme difficulty/cost/hassle associated with intermediate stops. They pretty much have to be a direct link between just two stops, right?
Jarrett approaches the concept with questions, not statements of fact. For him, it’s not a question of For or Against. He admits he doesn’t know much about the matter (“as near as I can tell”) and finishes with an explicit question (“just two stops, right?”). He clearly doesn’t understand the difference between an aerial tram and a gondola system, but why should he? He’s never had to address the question so the two are equivalent, which makes perfect sense. Furthermore, his perception is clearly coloured by his experience with Portland. But he’s confident enough in his abilities and worldview to recognize that Portland alone may not tell the whole story.
After I responded to his response, he had this today:
Thanks. I was ignorant about the difference between a gondola and an aerial tram!
I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to encounter a transportation planner that is willing to say they were “ignorant” about something. Even more refreshing is someone who demonstrates that learning about new things requires an open mind and a willingness to admit they don’t know everything. Jarrett’s a skeptic in the very best way.
I’ve sometimes heard that it’s not a good idea to hire consultants who are “learning on the job.” I couldn’t agree less. The best consultants are those highly competent individuals who want to learn on the job, but do so in a fast, efficient manner. These are people who want to learn about new ideas, new concepts and apply them to your particular situation. They’re valuable.
The world’s changing too fast nowadays to hire consultants who aren’t learning on the job. Consultants who’ve stopped learning will give you the answer to yesterday’s problems. Consultants who never stop learning, on the other hand, will give you the answer to tomorrow’s problems.
Which would you choose? Me, I’m going with Jarrett.
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