Illustration of San Diego Skyway.
A quick look at some of the things that happened this week in the world of urban gondolas, cable cars and cable propelled transit:
Study Complete in San Diego (San Diego, California)
The study for a 2-mile (3.2km) urban gondola from San Diego Bay to Balboa Park is now complete. Estimates predict costs of $65-75 million and annual ridership of up to 1.1 million. The complete ride on the 4-station line would take about 12 minutes. Officials agreed to study the project more, focusing on design, engineering, environmental and regulatory issues.
Bukit Larut Plans to Proceed (Taiping, Malaysia)
Bukit Larut (aka Maxwell Hill) may soon get its cable car. The Perak Government is proceeding with plans for a 3.5km, RM65 million (US$17.3 million) cable car, an idea first raised 1997. Opponents’ concerns about environmental impact and financial sustainability were trumped. The cable car will have less impact than a new road, and the Taiping Zoo already receives 650,000 visitors annually.
Amsterdam Cable Car (The Netherlands)
Amsterdam is seriously considering a cable car connection Amsterdam-Noord and the city centre. As Noord has grown in recent years, so has ferry usage across the IJ River. Some believe a cable car could improve cross–river transport.
Daredevil Flies into Cable Car (Chamonix, France)
Arnaud Longobardi, a speedflyer, pulled off an almost impossible feat. He launched himself off the side of a mountain, gliding at speeds of up to 80kph, before this perfect landing in a moving cable car.