Can gondolas bridge the gap (heh) in Rob Ford’s transit plan?

Back in October, urban planner Steven Dale argued that gondolas—sort of like the ones you find at ski resorts—could serve as a thrifty complement to light rail transit. At the time, we thought the idea sounded both semi-crazy and completely awesome. Now, apparently, gondolas are being floated as a viable transit alternative everywhere from Vancouver to Mecca. Turns out an aerial cable system can carry between 5,000 and 6,000 passengers an hour—not as many as a subway, but more than a streetcar or bus. As for a Toronto location, Dale still thinks the Don Valley is the most obvious spot. Coincidentally, that’s the same pesky valley that’s threatening to derail Rob Ford’s plan to run the Eglinton Crosstown underground. And given that a monorail was part of the transit discussion not so long ago, maybe gondolas aren’t so crazy after all. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »