Won’t hurt the appearance
MT WELLINGTON CABLE CAR
WHY do opponents of the cable car suggest it will denigrate the look of the mountain when the only visible items will be a couple of towers and a couple of pods moving up and down the mountain. The Canadian Rockies, arguably the most pristine wilderness in the world, has cable cars (gondolas) on numerous mountain peaks. This is the only way tourists are able to view the magnificent scenery. Cape Town is the most comparable city, as Table Mountain sits closer to Cape Town than Mt Wellington does to Hobart, and has had a cable car for some 90 years with no detrimental effect on the view from the city or mountain. If Pinnacle Rd did not exist, what would be the chance of gaining approval now; this would make the cable car construction “a walk in the park”. With the current hysteria I am surprised opponents have not called for the removal of the Pinnacle Rd, and have the area reinstated to its condition prior to the 1930s. about Tasmania as long as the tourists keep bringing in their money. It will be their demise when our pristine state will be nothing but a polluted wasteland with denuded forests and a dead sea.
Silhouettes
LA Paz in Bolivia has a sophisticated cable car system to move people around their quite steep city. About 80 per cent of each car is tinted glass, and merges very well with the landscape. The only time the cars are visible is when they are silhouetted against the sky. Perhaps the Hobart proponent can take this into consideration and not have cars silhouetted against the sky (such as along hilltops and ridge lines), but rather pass in front of landscape so as to blend much more easily? er challenge. Thirty years of climate data show the same wind speeds that stop the Table Mountain cable car occur on Mt Wellington 62 per cent of the time, or 228 days each year. That’s 19 days each month. One wonders how the MWCC’s cable car could be economically feasible.
We need these tourists
VISITING Cape Town in South Africa, one of its biggest visitor drawcards is the cable car. The cable car on Table Mountain is a similar distance that Hobart is to Mt Wellington. The ride and the views are spectacular. From Cape Town, the cable cars and their infrastructure are not visible with the naked eye. The massive tourist numbers lined up at the base where a two hour waiting time was normal. Wake up Hobart, we need this cable car.
Traffic upgrades
THE cable car seems likely to multiply traffic to the Pinnacle, requiring major upgrades to already-overloaded road and parking facilities. The exciting facilities proposed for the Pinnacle (visitor centre, observatory, cafe and wine/whisky bar) will be attractive for locals and tourists. I think of Mona, where a return trip by ferry, bus or bicycle is only $22, yet overflow parking sprawls from Granada Tavern all the way along Main Rd. I love the Mona ferry, but have also driven when only planning a quick visit, or to save money when going to events with friends.
Skip the show
THE Editorial ( Mercury, June 7) is spot on, all our state politicians including local government should adhere to it rather than conduct a political comedy show to entertain an interstate audience of political watchers.
Macquarie Point cycleway
WHY has there been no progress in extending the intercity cycleway through Macquarie Point? Surely if there’s one thing that the Macquarie Point Development Corporation excels at, it’s laying bitumen.
Paying for mismanagement
WHY should the ratepayers of Glenorchy pay for the mismanagement of others (Letters, June 4)? Because the mismanagement was sanctioned by the ‘gang of seven’ aldermen who were elected by a majority of the aforementioned ratepayers. Simple.
Titillation
I CONCUR with reader Carl Mann (Letters, June 6). I enjoy the name kunanyi for our mountain. I am not being flippant in suggesting that naming our contemporary city “nipaluna” invites titillation.