Instead of fighting traffic or waiting for a taxi, rail travellers arriving at New York\u2019s capital may one day soar across the Hudson River in glassy pods suspended from cables.<\/p>\n
That futuristic image could become a reality if an engineering firm\u2019s urban gondola plan comes to fruition. It\u2019s one of several aerial cable projects being pitched in cities from Austin, Texas, to Washington, DC, to solve public transportation problems by going above the existing maze of congested highways, bridges and rails.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen any major adoption in North America, but there has been so much change and such growth in the technology in the last decade that it\u2019s only a matter of time,\u201d said Toronto-based urban planner Steven Dale, who created The Gondola Project to provide technical assistance for such ideas.<\/p>\n
Cable-propelled urban gondolas are similar to those used for decades to transport skiers up mountains. While there are only a couple used for public commuter transit in the US \u2014 Portland, Oregon\u2019s Aerial Tram and New York City\u2019s Roosevelt Island Tramway \u2014 the technology is quickly gaining traction in European countries such as Italy, Germany, Portugal and France.<\/p>\n
Medellin, Colombia, launched the first aerial gondola mass transit system in South America in 2004, and Mexico City inaugurated its new Mexicable gondola transit system in October.<\/p>\n
In the US, gondola projects have been proposed, with varying degrees of interest, over the Potomac River between Georgetown and Rosslyn, Virginia; across the centre of Austin, Texas; from downtown Miami to the Marlins ballpark; across New York City\u2019s East River; and along an eight-mile route from Branson Landing to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.<\/p>\n
In Albany, the gondola is aimed at a specific problem: The city\u2019s busy Amtrak station is actually located across the Hudson River in the city of Rensselaer, a 1.3-mile cab ride from the downtown government and entertainment district where most people are headed. Travellers have long complained there are never enough taxis and people often have to wait or share.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took Greyhound from New York City and thought I\u2019d walk from the Albany bus station to the train, since it\u2019s only a mile,\u201d said Rosemary Scheibel of Auburn as she waited for a train. When she discovered there\u2019s no way to walk along the elevated highway and bridge over the river, \u201cI had to pay $13 for a taxi,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The gondola plan would offer up to 1,200 riders an hour the chance to soar 100 feet above the Hudson in enclosed, air-conditioned eight-person cabins with an expansive view of the river and Albany\u2019s skyline. The trip would take about five minutes, and like a ski lift, the cars would move continuously, slowing enough that even people in wheelchairs can easily get on and off. \u2014 AP<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an elegant solution,\u201d said Albany Democratic Mayor Kathy Sheehan. \u201cThere are those who say, \u2018Why do we need it?\u2019 But there has been more interest than scepticism.\u201d<\/p>\n
West Nyack, New York-based McLaren Engineering Group, which pitched the idea, estimated construction at between $17 million and $20 million, with annual operating costs of about $2.4 million. If approved by a series of state and federal agencies, McLaren says costs could be covered by a mix of private and public funds, ticket revenue and advertising.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purpose is twofold,\u201d said Peter Melewski, national director of strategic planning for McLaren. \u201cOne is to solve a transportation problem. The other is as a natural draw for tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gondola proposals have been slow to gain traction in the US, with objections including \u201cpie-in-the-sky\u201d scepticism, political opposition and residents\u2019 concern about privacy with commuters peering down on their homes. Dale said a lack of accessible research was another roadblock before he launched his information center.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd no city wants to be first,\u201d Dale said. \u201cThey want to be able to point to someone and say \u2018We can do it, too.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Will Handsfield, transportation director for the Georgetown Business Improvement District, which is promoting the Potomac project, said cable gondolas provide an alternative in areas where new highways or rail systems are too expensive or impossible to fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would be useful,\u201d said 19-year-old Abbey McGrath as she waited for a train. \u201cAnd it would be super interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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