On the recent news of the soon-in-the-offing death of the Sydney Monorail, Jarrett Walker at Human Transit had this to say: Technophile commenters will doubtless chalk this up the Sydney decision as a defeat for monorails in general. I disagree. It’s a defeat for one-way loops, poor connectivity, and symbolic as opposed to actual mobility....
After yesterday’s release of the Burnaby Mountain Gondola Business Case, there were so many articles and commentaries on the project around the internet, we thought it prudent to break from our typical structure and dedicate today’s Roundup exclusively to some of the more interesting reactions to that project: The Burnaby News Leader has comments on...
A few highlights from around the world of Urban Gondolas, Gondola Transit, and Cable Propelled Transit: An entry in Vancouver’s re:CONNECT competition proposes a “Park-2-Park” gondola connecting False Creek Flats and Stanley Park. The New York Times Magazine profiles the Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve. In the article makes passing mention of an under-construction “aerial tram from...
If the planners are to be believed, the new Vancouver / Burnaby Urban Gondola Transit system will cost $120 million CAD, instead of the $69 million CAD initially reported. Consider how similar the Burnaby gondola is to – say – the Koblenz Rheinseilbahn or Whistler’s Peak 2 Peak and you realize that $120 million is...
(Like yesterday’s post, this one is going to be a long one. My apologies to anyone whose not overly interested in Vancouver, Burnaby Mountain or its urban gondola transit system.) Yesterday I discussed the issues I had with how Translink chose to communicate their decision-making process to the public as they prepared for a series...
As most people know (or could easily assume), we’re pretty positive about the Burnaby Mountain Gondola proposal. We aren’t, however, zealots. We’re urbanists and planners first and foremost, gondola specialists second. We won’t mindlessly support any gondola that happens to be plunked down in any city. It’s got to make sense and be rationally thought out...
Gondola Project reader Sean sent me a link to the above image. It dates from the 1950’s and comes from Vancouver’s regional transit authority, Translink, and was plucked from their archives. Even 60 years ago transit authorities recognized the need for grade-separation and rights-of-way for transit: “freeing the limited street space for commercial vehicles and...
Voluntary Disclaimer: While I have had conversations with individuals associated with the Vancouver/Burnaby Gondola, I have no stake within this project. Furthermore, while a report I wrote on the topic of cable was referenced in the original feasibility analysis associated with this project, I have not been consulted on this project whatsoever. The opinions expressed...