I'm so glad to hear that it not just being kicked around here, that it's on the radar seriously enough that there's money to conduct a study. This sort of system represents a huge opportunity to make close-in hilltop neighborhoods in and near the city bike friendly if it's adaptable and affordable enough.
byogman
2016-02-08 15:51:00
What would be useful to know is Port Authority's annual cost to operate the 4 Troy Hill bus route. Recall back in 2012, the 4 was on the chopping block (it already lost Sunday service in the 2011 cuts).
Not that a foot-incline is going to replace a bus route, but the comparative overhead of a 24/7/365 access mechanism to a fixed route bus would be quite a selling point, I think.
Next up, Bigelow/Sylvan and the Joncaire steps. Even better, up to Tropical Park from the Wabash Tunnel.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-08 17:22:11
Cost:
From
http://trampe.no/en/faq
What are the building costs?
15—20.000 NOK per meter—pretty much the same building costs as an ordinary bicycle road in urban areas
I'm sure this means 15000-20000 NOK; 1NOK=.12US$; so about $2000/m,=$3.5M/mi... 500ft for $350,000...seems a bit steep, but so is Rialto :-)
yalecohen
2016-02-08 21:58:36
A single bus costs more than $350K.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-09 06:16:11
One of the neat facts of this is that it makes steepness an asset (gives a lower cost and a quicker way for riders to clear the same vertical).
It's not that we don't have very steep streets that are great candidates (Rialto among them) but it also occurs to me that we needn't and shouldn't focus only on where existing roads go given that the additional cost of the minimal paved surface needed to use the lift is tiny in comparison to the lift itself.
byogman
2016-02-09 09:28:02
The Trondheim design requires a bicycle, i.e. it can't be used by pedestrians, correct? Too bad.
paulheckbert
2016-02-09 11:39:44
Gondolas, that's what we really need.
benzo
2016-02-09 16:16:30
I once laid out a plan for a gondola system from Troy Hill to Arlington Ave with stops at the north shore trail, the Strip, the busway, Bedford Ave, DuquesneU/MercyHosp, Muriel St, and Arlington Ave.
stuinmccandless
2016-02-10 09:17:59
@ paulheckbert
The Trondheim design requires a bicycle, i.e. it can’t be used by pedestrians, correct? Too bad.
You could always put a share-a-bike- station at the bottom and another at the top.
It would be great if some thought was put inot where ithis would be best placed for through traffic . For example, say a short distance up the steepest part of the South side slopes or Mt Washington would open up the South Hills quite a bit.
mick
2016-02-10 12:28:53
