Gondolas are great for connecting destinations across rivers and valleys, as well as up and down mountains. However, they could also be used to revolutionize urban transportation.
A team of industrial designers in the U.S. recently studied various scenarios and decided to work on plans for a series of aerial gondolas to connect the city of Austin, Texas.
''A gondola setup allows for the implementation of a public transit system in a busy city while avoiding the thorny and pricey issue of land rights,'' says designer Michael McDaniel.
Whereas a light rail system can cost around $100 million per mile, McDaniel claims that a gondola can be put in for $12 million a mile ''because you’re not looking at eminent domain or rights of way, and you’re not disrupting local businesses or cutting out vehicular traffic.''
You're not afraid of heights, are you?
Source: Wired
A team of industrial designers in the U.S. recently studied various scenarios and decided to work on plans for a series of aerial gondolas to connect the city of Austin, Texas.
''A gondola setup allows for the implementation of a public transit system in a busy city while avoiding the thorny and pricey issue of land rights,'' says designer Michael McDaniel.
Whereas a light rail system can cost around $100 million per mile, McDaniel claims that a gondola can be put in for $12 million a mile ''because you’re not looking at eminent domain or rights of way, and you’re not disrupting local businesses or cutting out vehicular traffic.''
You're not afraid of heights, are you?
Source: Wired
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