The future has gondolas
Think big to solve 21st-century transit issues
Gondolas may be the transportation of Pittsburgh’s future. No, not those Venetian boats. Gondola lifts, cabledrawn pods that are often found in ski resorts, have become a popular consideration for urban transit in metropolises around the world. And, according to Mayor Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh may join the club.
During a recent forum on city development, Mr. Peduto floated the idea that gondolas, along with autonomous vehicles, marinas and bicycles (get your “Bike Lane Bill” giggles out now), could play a key role in modernizing Pittsburgh transportation.
Mr. Peduto’s comments surely struck some residents as pie-in-thesky thinking, the sort the mayor is known to engage in from time to time. But a gondola system in Pittsburgh is not nearly as impractical as it may initially sound.
Though the technology has been around since the 1930s, gondolas have only recently been considered for everyday public transit. Transportation planning in the 21st century presents a number of challenging, concurrent goals — efficiency, safety, sustainability, etc. — which has encouraged innovative solutions. Gondolas check many boxes for urban planners.
Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city, introduced its Metrocable lines in 2004. Widely recognized for proving the merits of a gondola system, the Metrocable has been an incredible success. The system connected disparate parts of Medellin, long separated by a steep hillside. Residents in poorer neighborhoods were given an easier way to reach the city center for work, education and health care. Medellin has experienced a precipitous decline in crime and is now hailed as one of the world’s most innovative cities. Metrocable is often credited for the city’s remarkable transformation.
Other cities — Portland, Ore.;
Koblenz, Germany; New York City — have imitated Medellin’s gondola system to great success. More cities are now considering gondolas, in no small part due to their cost-efficiency. Subway and light-rail lines often cost hundreds of millions of dollars per mile, whereas the aerial ropeways needed for gondolas only run up to about $12 million per mile. Their low emissions and energy efficiency also help keep costs down.
So how about Pittsburgh? Could Pittsburgh really benefit from a gondola system? That remains to be seen. Mr. Peduto and his staff, in coordination with local universities and researchers, should crunch the numbers on this possibility.
How much would a gondola system cost? How would it be paid for? How many people could or would use the system daily? Would it connect areas of the city to encourage economic inclusion? All these questions, and more, must be answered. Money should not be wasted on a project with slim chances for success.
But Pittsburgh’s 21st-century transportation problems require 21st-century solutions. More parking lots will not address larger concerns of climate change, sustainability and inclusion. Progress comes with innovation, and Mr. Peduto may well be on the right track with his gondola proposal.