#Portland Aerial Tram

Apr 24, 2010
Aerial Trams, Portland Aerial Tram, Research Issues, Uncategorized

Aerial Technologies, Lesson 5: Aerial Trams

Aerial Trams are the granddaddies of cable transit. They’re big, they’re aggressive and what they do, they do really well. Problem is, they can’t do much. They’re a completely antiquated technology due to their lack of detachability. Like BDG or 3S systems, Aerial Trams use one or two stationary ropes for support while a second or...

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Mar 21, 2010
Thoughts

One time . . .

One time, it’s a fluke . . . The Roosevelt Island Tram. Two times, it’s a fad . . . Medellin. Three times, it’s a trend . . . Portland. Four times, it’s a movement . . . Caracas. Five times, it’s a force . . . Next?

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Feb 04, 2010
Aerial Trams, Roosevelt Island Tram, Urban Planning & Design

Roosevelt Island Tram

New York’s famous Roosevelt Island Tram will be closing this spring for a complete overhaul. The system, built in the late 70’s is one of the few public CPT systems in North America and recently became fully-integrated into that city’s transit system. So if any of you are in NY in the next month, take...

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Nov 15, 2009
Aerial Trams, Analysis, Portland Aerial Tram

Not Over My Back Yard

Here’s an example of how not to implement Cable-Propelled Transit (CPT) in an urban area. The Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) desired a direct connection between their two campuses in Portland, Oregon; one at the bottom of a mountain, another at the top. A CPT system was a logical choice. I won’t discuss what I...

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Nov 02, 2009
Aerial Trams, History, Portland Aerial Tram, Roosevelt Island Tram

No City Wants To Be First . . .

but every city wants to be second. The competitive drive to be number one just doesn’t seem to permeate City Hall and that’s understandable.  Infrastructure is terribly expensive and no politician or planner wants to embarrass themselves by green-lighting a future white elephant. Cities are therefore remarkably conservative when it comes to infrastructure.  Cities tend...

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