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Cable car for Bristol
8.7.2025 (Tuesday) 14:10 - All running AOK
 
Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by TonyK at 15:26, 7th July 2025
 
Mr Hutson must have a holiday booked for next month. Plans for cable-cars and pods - nice touch sort of combining them - usually come out in August, when the Post traditionally has nothing else worth reporting on.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by grahame at 13:53, 7th July 2025
 
Here we go again.  ...

A sort of hybrid between a cable car and the Wuppertal Schweberbahn?  Here's the link:


Not for the airport (though it might manage gradients) but do not rule out the Wuppertal system for suspension about the Avon - I have suggested it for Bath in the past, from Park and Ride at Batheaston Meadows to the Park and Ride at Newbridge.   Hands will be thrown up in horror of course, though I would bet that if it had been installed in Victorian times, it would be a major part of the cit's heritage and hands would be thrown up in horror at taking in down / closing it.   It is, of course, steel wheels on Steels rails, Red Squirrel - just that the rails are above the passengers not below them!

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Phantom at 13:11, 7th July 2025
 
I thought people just wasted their time with stories like that on April Fools day

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by johnneyw at 11:49, 7th July 2025
 
The system's capacity of 480 passengers/hour seated (or 780 with some extra standing) could arguably be said to be inadequate for a mass transport system for an increasingly busy airport.  Also sharing the route above the main line between Parson Street and Bristol Temple Meads may raise a few eyebrows at NR/GBR.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Red Squirrel at 11:11, 7th July 2025
 
This, for what it's worth, seems to fit into the category 'Dangleway' according to the Gareth Dennis flowchart. For those who haven't come across it before, it's here:


Image ©Gareth Dennis (see https://x.com/GarethDennis/status/1534621173027323904)

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by chuffed at 10:10, 7th July 2025
 
Perhaps he could link up with Barry 'crash mats' from the Portishead busway PLC to provide a soft landing for derailed podders.....

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by johnneyw at 09:39, 7th July 2025
 
Here we go again.  Bristol Live reports on an inventor calling upon Bristol transport planners to adopt his pod based aerial rail system to link Bristol to it's airport.  The claim is that it would be both quicker and cheaper to build than conventional trams or trains.
A sort of hybrid between a cable car and the Wuppertal Schweberbahn?  Here's the link:

Plan for 'Aerial' transport system to link city with Bristol Airport | Bristol Live https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/plan-aerial-transport-system-link-10320952

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by froome at 11:58, 15th May 2022
 
NIMBYs

More likely NOMBYs - Not Over My Back Yard.

NOMBYs would find plenty to complain about in Bristol and Bath with all the balloon rides coming over their houses. 

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by chuffed at 08:38, 15th May 2022
 
When one of these things falls off, will it be a case of Too loose or too lost

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by stuving at 20:11, 14th May 2022
 
NIMBYs

More likely NOMBYs - Not Over My Back Yard.

I hadn't realised that Toulouse was getting one of these things. However, it opened today (less late than some things). In this case they have managed to find  a route that does not really fly over any housing, or anything else much. It's provided by the usual suspects (Poma). This from Teller Report:
Toulouse is taking to the skies by putting an urban cable car into service on Saturday, the longest in the country, intended to complete, in a low-carbon way, the public transport network of the fourth city...

After Brest and Saint-Denis, in Reunion, Téléo is the third cable car in France.

"In Toulouse we have a star-shaped network and we needed a cross-connection in the south of the agglomeration, to go from one peripheral area to another, without going through the center", specifies Nicolas Misiak, the president of Tisséo Voyageurs, the agglomeration's public transport authority.

Departing from the Université-Paul-Sabatier metro station, the blue-grey cabins rise towards the CHU Rangueil, at the top of a hill, before descending on the other side, above cliffs and the Garonne, towards the Oncopole, a hospital and research centre.

The spacious cabins can carry 34 passengers, including 20 seated and wheelchairs, up to 75 meters above the ground.
...
Now fashionable, projects have been launched in other French cities such as Ajaccio, Grenoble and Créteil.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by TonyK at 15:18, 10th March 2019
 
NIMBYs

More likely NOMBYs - Not Over My Back Yard.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by martyjon at 16:50, 9th March 2019
 
The Whiteladies Road-based firm ....

I remember another firm based in Whiteladies Road or the vicinity of there came up with a proposal to build a tram network throughout Bristol and that bit the dust before a single sleeper was laid and this will go the same way before a single pylon is built.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by chuffed at 19:59, 8th March 2019
 
Curtains and cablecars.......lots of hanging around then!😨

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Red Squirrel at 16:46, 8th March 2019
 
Curtains are very last week.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by broadgage at 15:57, 8th March 2019
 
There's this marvellous invention to counteract prying skyborne or top deck perverts.

Curtains.

Not available in Nunhead at the time presumably, are they available in Bristol ?
I have curtains in Somersetshire.
They have them in Brimpsfield.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by JayMac at 15:49, 8th March 2019
 
There's this marvellous invention to counteract prying skyborne or top deck perverts.

Curtains.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by TaplowGreen at 15:48, 8th March 2019
 
NIMBYs
Costs of regulation and compliance.
Disabled access.
10 years of studies, consultations, and reviews.
Political changes, leading to another round of the above.
Mumsnet claiming that perverts will be able to see children from above.
Newts.
Bats.




Buffets?

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by broadgage at 14:37, 8th March 2019
 
Cable cars might comply with PRESENT regulations, in which case an upgrade to the regulations is clearly needed.

Full disabled access for the seriously physically impaired looks much more challenging than with a train.

Flying perverts will no doubt converge, no child will be safe !

(seriously, in Nunhead, south east London, there was considerable local opposition to the introduction of double decker buses on route 78 due to the risks of perverts riding thereon and "looking in children's bedroom windows"

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Red Squirrel at 13:56, 8th March 2019
 
Well...

Costs of regulation and compliance - I don't know about you, but I quite like the idea that cable cars comply with safety regulations.
Disabled access - Isn't it reasonable that the system should be designed to be accessible?
10 years of studies, consultations, and reviews - Mmm, well it would be nice if we could find a way to speed up the decision-making process...
Mumsnet claiming that perverts will be able to see children from above - Flying perverts?

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by broadgage at 13:42, 8th March 2019
 
NIMBYs
Costs of regulation and compliance.
Disabled access.
10 years of studies, consultations, and reviews.
Political changes, leading to another round of the above.
Mumsnet claiming that perverts will be able to see children from above.
Newts.
Bats.



Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by TonyK at 12:48, 8th March 2019
 
The Clifton Cable Company have yet to hold high-level talks with the city council.

Boom boom! Here all week, folks!

This is the second time this idea has been mooted, which means that it will have to be dropped and re-announced at least twice more before getting anywhere. Like Portishead railway, trams, electrification, Arenal, Clifton suspension bridge....

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by johnneyw at 12:38, 8th March 2019
 
On reading the article again, that possible 2020 start date looks unrealistic by normal progress time standards let alone Bristol progress time.
I hope this has some real chance of success though.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by grahame at 12:28, 8th March 2019
 
Judging by the Wikipedia article, it looks like the legals and land may have added an un-budgeted £15 million to the bill...

An interesting article.  I also note the height of 90 metres above the ground, which considering the cable car's in a pretty flat area means tall towers which will have added cost, and (from trying to use it but being blow out) I recall a rather smart building, exhibition space, cafe, etc on the south bank which would have been further £££.

Cost comparison is rather like comparing the cost of adding a single track basic railway from Meldon Quarry to Bere Alston for local use and emergency connectivity with the cost of upgrading from Exeter St. Davids to St Budeaux to 100 m.p.h. standard with dynamic loops if not double track all the way.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Red Squirrel at 12:10, 8th March 2019
 
Judging by the Wikipedia article, it looks like the legals and land may have added an un-budgeted £15 million to the bill...

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Bmblbzzz at 11:59, 8th March 2019
 
Though presumably higher land prices were a factor in London. Then again, it doesn't actually need much land. Would it have to pay some sort of way-right* fees to the owners of property it passes over, I wonder? Can't imagine that's a major consideration though.

*That's not the correct term. Can't remember it, sorry, but one of you clever people will know.

Edit: Way leave.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Red Squirrel at 11:49, 8th March 2019
 
...didn't the one in London fail commercially?

That'll be the Emirates Air Line. I'm not sure how you measure whether or not this was a commercial success, given that it has received a large subsidy from Emirates Airlines who presumably get some benefit from this deal.

The London system cost £60 million for a 1km line, which to a layman suggests that £15-20 million for a 1.4km (as the crow flies) route from SSGB to the Suspension Bridge is a bit optimistic.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by grahame at 11:43, 8th March 2019
 
The Mexican experience

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-40951326/flying-over-the-city-the-urban-cable-car

2 years to build; $85 million
1.5 hour journey down to 22 minutes
Capacity of 3,000 passengers per hour.

In a Bristol context, extend to Portishead?




Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by johnneyw at 11:28, 8th March 2019
 
Blinkin' flip! I've heard talk of a cable car before but that was just as an extra crossing over the Floating Harbour and that went away very quickly.
This could have been published at the beginning of next month, everyone would have accepted it as a spoof and had a good laugh but this is not April 1st and this sounds like it has had considerable planning groundwork carried out on it.
If it is actually feasible it sounds really good but as a regularly used transport option as well as for tourist appeal, it has to come with realistic fares. Also it might have issues with periods of high winds.
I'm quite excited about this and it could really add to the cityscape. Just one thing though; didn't the one in London fail commercially?

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Timmer at 11:18, 8th March 2019
 
Bristol City Council will find a way to operate it with buses instead.
Yup. A company wanted to do something similar in Bath and that like many other things got thrown out. We are very backward about going forward in this part of the world.

Re: Cable car for Bristol
Posted by JayMac at 11:15, 8th March 2019
 
Bristol City Council will find a way to operate it with buses instead.

Cable car for Bristol
Posted by Bmblbzzz at 11:00, 8th March 2019
 
Imagine being able to travel from the SS Great Britain to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in just a few minutes, taking a journey between Brunel’s two engineering marvels in a third – but this time utilising state of the art 21st century technology.

A cable car system for Bristol might initially seem far-fetched, but a team made up of experienced transport planners, property professionals and architects has been working behind the scenes for several years on a plan that they passionately believe will work.

The route along the Floating Harbour, across the Cumberland Basin, through the Avon Gorge and up to Clifton is also just the first phase of a scheme which could one day see cable cars connecting different corners of the city.

What would initially begin as a tourist-focused project as early as 2020 could in the next two decades act as a key commuting route from Temple Meads to as far afield as Hengrove, Avonmouth, Filton and Emersons Green.


The Clifton Cable Company has been founded by architect David Rhodes, property professional James Broome and transport panning consultant Richard White.

The Whiteladies Road-based firm estimate that the first phase of the scheme would cost between £15m to £20m, which would be privately funded.

Rhodes, Broome and White have already been in lengthy discussions with a French company, POMA, who are the world leaders in cable car technology and believe that the system could work very well within Bristol’s urban environment.

A number of large pylons would have to be erected to allow the route to connect different parts of the city, with stations needing to be built in areas such as the Cumberland Basin.

The Clifton Cable Company believe that a station here could help facilitate the redevelopment of the area with integrated transport, as part of the city council’s Western Harbour plans.

2,500 people per hour could travel on the new system initially, rising to 4,000 people if it proves successful.


The view from inside a possible cable car station at the Cumberland Basin

Broome said: “We believe that this is a pivotal moment for Bristol as it looks to deliver new infrastructure and housing to serve future generations.

“This scheme would be provided by the private sector and would not require council money. It would significantly enhance Bristol’s tourism offer and enable commuters to travel around the city centre sustainably, which will help alleviate traffic congestion, and will provide wider economic benefits for the city.”

POMA UK sales manager Vincent Carrie said: “In Bristol, as all around the world, cable car technology can be integrated into the urban network and is upgradable and recyclable with low energy consumption.”

Cable car schemes are already tried and tested in cities including New York, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore, with other schemes planned in Gothenburg and Amsterdam.

In Medellin in Columbia, an innovative cable car system has helped link previously disconnected parts of the city:


The Clifton Cable Company have yet to hold high-level talks with the city council. A spokesperson at City Hall said: “This is an exciting idea. We look forward to seeing the plans.”

But the proposed scheme has already got the backing of Destination Bristol chief executive John Hirst, who also sits on the newly formed Bristol Transport Board.

“I see this as an ideal chance to promote Bristol even further as a city that links key points with cable cars,” Hirst said.

“It would be interesting, exciting, different and would speed the process of people moving around the city during these challenging transport times.”

Hirst added: “I do realise, however, that there will be some challenges and this is why I think we should all now be giving this serious consideration.”
https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/exclusive-lofty-ambitions-for-cable-car-system-in-bristol/

 
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