6.3km, 42 city blocks or 57 football fields. That’s how long the record setting 3S Fansipan Legend gondola is. It might not sound like a lot at first but there’s many places you can connect to with that length.
In no particular order, here’s 6 different places in 6 different cities we can link up with the Fanispan Legend’s distance and the time it takes to travel that line.
1. From Hoboken, New Jersey to Williamsburg in Brooklyn (6.3km/3.9mi — 12.4 minutes)
2. Across the entirety of Chicago’s lakefront (6.3 km/3.9mi — 12.4 minutes)
3. From the Miami Central Business District to Miami Beach (5.8km/3.6mi — 11.4 minutes)
4. From Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale Quay x2! (3.2km/2.0mi — 6.2 minutes)
5. From Los Angeles International Airport to Venice Beach (6.3km/3.6mi — 12.4 minutes)
6. From La Défense to Eiffel Tower (6.3km/3.6mi — 12.4 minutes)
These of course, are just for fun. But in all seriousness, as Cable Propelled Transit technology continues to evolve, the opportunities for helping enhance urban transport are endless.
If you had 6.3km of cable cars, what would you connect and why? Let us know in the comments below.
5 Comments
St George Staten Island to Bay Ridge Brooklyn.
That’s some fancypants gondola all right (geddit? geddit?)
I wonder if a Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale Quay 3S system is feasible. How tall would towers on each shore need to be to support a 3S cable system crossing Burrard Inlet? Naval navigation requires minimum clearances – let’s assume it has to be equivalent to the clearance under the Lions Gate and/or Ironworkers Memorial bridges, and factor in a certain amount of future sea level rise. Once you’ve calculated the height of the towers, how close could the base stations be to those towers? Assume the towers could be a short distance off shore in the ocean. Would the route be possible?
@Brian Lang: not sure what the numbers are without having done the calculations but a 3S would be able to make the connection. Assuming we use Lions Gate Bridge, the clearance would be 61m. This clearance is no problem as cable cars can reach heights rather quickly. The Vinpearl Cable Car, Emirates Air Line Cable Car and the Singapore Cable Car are some examples of water-crossing gondolas.
I think Los Angeles is a great candidate for gondola in a couple places.
1 – 3 station line from Hollywood/Highland Metro station to Hollywood Bowl and Griffith Observatory. Both these cultural venues suffer from insane overcrowding and lack of parking. Plus the tourist value of sailing by the Hollywood sign would make it a must-see for all LA visitors.
Approx 2.85 mi
2 – Union Station to Dodger Stadium. This ballpark is in a spectacular location on a hilltop with panoramic views of the cityscape. It is of course surrounded by hundreds of acres of ugly parking lots. Giving a viable alternative to driving could free up space for development. Imagine the prices you could get for condos in this location! Plus a full time population would justify year-round use of the gondola, not just during baseball season.
Approx 1 mi