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(This post was a little late coming in today. So much going on. Please accept my apologies.)

It’s been a good week for Cable Propelled Transit and Urban Gondolas:

• Last night I led a talk at the Martin Prosperity Institute in Toronto. The MPI, under the Directorship of Richard Florida is an unbelievably lively place full of smart, generous people. The event was presented in partnership with Salon Camden, Azmi Haq‘s “intimate, no-holds-barred urban discourse” where “breaking bread and savoring wine” goes hand-in-hand with conversation. The evening was dedicated exclusively to cable transit and had dozens of attendees. Because the event was run under Chatham House Rule I’m not at liberty to say who was in attendance or who said what. Let’s just say it was a great evening with a lot of people who walked out with a totally different impression of CPT than when they walked in. Thanks so much to Kevin Stolarick, Patrick Adler, Mark Denstedt and Azmi Haq for organizing the event and inviting me to speak!
• Meanwhile on the other side of the planet (literally), a team of talented Innovators, Planners, Urban Designers and Project Managers gathered in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The team, put together by Ryan O’Connor presented their proposal for an urban gondola system called Palmylink to the Mayor, City Council, Massey University and a variety of other stakeholders. Due to the magic of time zones, the Palmylink workshop began at the exact moment that the MPI salon did. While Salon attendees in Toronto were feasting, I was teleconferenced in to the Palmylink Q&A session. By the end of the event, the Mayor and Council was positive on the concept despite having a few remaining questions. The team anticipates moving forward with more research. I’ve been working with and following the Palmylink team for the last few months, and can’t wait to finally break down Palmylink for readers of The Gondola Project in the coming weeks. It’s a truly exciting project! Congratulations to the brain behind Palmylink, Ryan O’Connor, as well as MG Gopalan and the rest of the Palymlink team!
• At the same time, the Globe and Mail reports that the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia has launched a program of work to explore CPT technology as a way to relieve congestion during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

In other words: This is happening, quicker than any of us can possibly imagine.