A few highlights from around the world of Urban Gondolas and Cable Propelled Transit:
- In the most ridiculous example yet of American security concerns run amok, skiers waiting to board the Steamboat Springs’ gondola in Colorado are being subjected to police pat-downs. Skiers and snowboarders “must unzip, de-layer, and turn out their pockets.” No comment yet from the Iranian Ski Federation.
- Forum For The Future releases an invigorating report called Megacities on the Move challenges our newly urbanized world to find new solutions to urban mobility problems. Among other technologies profiled, FOTF includes the Medellin Metrocable. The whole report is available free for download at the link provided.
- Several students at Simon Fraser University were stranded at SFU’s Burnaby Mountain campus after heavy snow-fall stalled bus service. This is a common enough occurrence and renewed calls for the SFU Burnaby Mountain gondola.
- The Singapore Straits Times laments the fact that bad weather triggered the safety features built into the Sentosa Island Gondola. This, despite the fact that is exactly what the safety features are built to do.
- The Maokong Gondola in Taipei has seen ridership double in the past month after theintroduction of 30 glass-floored cabins.
The new glass floored gondolas in Maokong, Taipei. Image via Focus Taiwan.
- The Austrian Independent reports that the world’s largest builder of cable propelled transit systems, Doppelmayr Garaventa, suffered a slight decline in turnover for the 2009/2010 business year due to the economic crisis. Company officials are, however, satisfied with the results.
- The Sun Moon Lake Ropeway in central Taiwan welcomed it’s 3 millionth rider after only one year of operations.
- Inspired by the reopening of the Roosevelt Island Tram, The Huffington Post lists what they think to be The Most Scenic Tram Rides Around The World.
5 Comments
I’m really keep wondering about those glass floors. It’s probably the last gimmick you could add to a cabin, but if you want to be taken seriously… that just doesn’t seem to be the right way to get there.
Well I guess I need to take a glass-floored-ride on my own. Maybe all out of the sudden I will understand 😉
@ LX,
“It’s probably the last gimmick you could add to a cabin, but if you want to be taken seriously… that just doesn’t seem to be the right way to get there.”
Couldn’t agree with you more. Rather than indulge in silly frills, why not add things that really add value. At the same time, the system in question is a Toy for Tourists, so it kinda’ makes sense.
but don’t you know LX, glass floors are the new segway tours
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/a-glass-bottom-skydeck-for-sears-tower.html
why not just have both?
in switzerland people take trains to get around the country, for work, for vacation, but on the same tracks they run glass ceiling cars for tourists with cameras who want to go on a tour of the alps.
what’s a better, more economical way to see venice then buying a “bus” pass which allows you a full city tour from a front row seat on the water, which just so happens to be right next to the old ladies on their way to get groceries…?
aka, gimmicky sure. but that should be besides the point. gimmicks must work or people would have stopped inventing them