SFU/Burnaby Mtn Gondola | Proposed

[GeeCee]

Sounds like they lost a car during testing - oops.

http://www.news1130.com/2014/02/05/c...o-sky-gondola/

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

Sounds like they lost a car during testing - oops.

http://www.news1130.com/2014/02/05/c...o-sky-gondola/

Loved the following comment.

"Jayson Faulkner, the Sea to Sky Gondola general manager, tells the Squamish Chief things like this aren’t uncommon during testing."

[osirisboy]

Cam we change the thread title to include the Squamish Gondala

[Millennium2002]

I guess the only thing we can conclude from this is that gondolas intended for a heavy-duty public transport role should have more cables for extra supporting strength... and they've already made such a conclusion in the SFU Gondola Reports.

[tybuilding]

There could be a gondola built in downtown Seattle

http://pricetags.wordpress.com/2014/...er-in-seattle/

[st7860]

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Burn...069/story.html

[SOSS]

Too bad this didn't make the mayors list. Maybe if it did, the Burnaby mayor would be in favour of what the rest of them want to do.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by SOSS

Too bad this didn't make the mayors list. Maybe if it did, the Burnaby mayor would be in favour of what the rest of them want to do.

Haha! You obviously dont know the antics of the Burnaby mayor very well.

He would likely take the side of the residents living below the proposed allignment who are against it.

Seriously, this guy is against everything, it is honestly baffling at times. The only thing that would make him side with voting yes is if the entire Hastings stretch were to get a skytrain train line, and every other city were to get nothing.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Haha! You obviously dont know the antics of the Burnaby mayor very well.

He would likely take the side of the residents living below the proposed allignment who are against it.

Seriously, this guy is against everything, it is honestly baffling at times. The only thing that would make him side with voting yes is if the entire Hastings stretch were to get a skytrain train line, and every other city were to get nothing.

He has nothing to worry about, he already got the Millennium Line (which was built before he was elected.) Also... he was chairman of BC Transit before Translink came into existence. Arguably he's the best qualified Mayor to say No, because it won't hurt his popularity. His wife is the MLA for the same area. None of the Bridges are in Burnaby, and the Skytrain and many bus routes are required to go through Burnaby.

I'd have liked to see the Gondola, but I think the business case wasn't quite as strong needed to justify it. 157 million to service 40,000 people by 2030.
http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Docu...ss%20Case.ashx

The Business case entirely leveraged the cost savings to Translink, rather than benefits to the rest of Metro Vancouver.
50% of students come from Production Way and 27% come from Burrard (but requires twice as many buses,) 12 % from Coquitlam and 10% from Metrotown.

Also consider the alternatives:

Diesel bus (Base Case)
- Ground-based technologies:
-- Bus Rapid Transit – Trolleybus
-- Light Rail Transit
-- Guided Light Transit
-- Funicular
-- Rack Railway
-- Rail Rapid Transit – SkyTrain
-- Personal Rapid Transit
-- Escalator
- Aerial technologies:
-- Aerial Tram/Reversible Ropeway
- Gondola Lifts:
-- Monocable
-- 2S
-- 3S
-- Funitel

A Funicular or Rack Railway might be better choices for safety and remove some of the NIMBY factor. Pushing the Skytrain, or any light rail really, up the mountain however would be extremely expensive.


Hence all the ground based options were eliminated. The only one close is the Rack Railway, and it fails on surface impact.

2.10 Bus Savings
A primary motivation for considering alternatives to bus service to Burnaby Mountain is the reduction in operating costs for bus service that could occur if bus services are replaced by rapid transit.

Read: Less bus drivers, roughly 50 ($113 Million over 30 years, versus $54 million for the Gondola.) Building it would pay for itself in 30 years from the savings in bus drivers and maintenance alone.

So why did Corrigan say no? Probably a protest vote on the entire 10 year plan. NIMBY's could have played a role as well.

Note how that Optimistically it would also have been built and in operation already.

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by Kisai

The Business case entirely leveraged the cost savings to Translink, rather than benefits to the rest of Metro Vancouver.
50% of students come from Production Way and 27% come from Burrard (but requires twice as many buses,) 12 % from Coquitlam and 10% from Metrotown.

Are people generally to limited to realize that cost savings to Translink = cost savings to Metro Vancouver, or reallocation of assets to other locations that would improve services?

The numbers you listed here, I would imagine that the 12% Coquitlam would be added to the Production Way numbers upon opening of Evergreen Line (or was this factored in...?). I assume the Burrard numbers are because those people like to take a single bus from point A to point B. Otherwise it would be Expo to Broadway-Commercial with transfer to Millennium (soon-to-be Evergreen) Line, then bus from Production. I would think the gondola would move some of the 27%, but not much.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

It's to provide a transfer to the Burnaby Gondola - the study recommends a station at either Production Way or Lake City.

What are the chances the gondola will actually be built?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

What are the chances the gondola will actually be built?

There is a black man in the White House, possibly followed by an orange man. Anything is possible.

Seriously, it might be on the bottom of TransLink's To-Do List, but it IS there. Might as well lay the groundwork on the Skytrain end first.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

What are the chances the gondola will actually be built?

I seriously hope so. Having ridden the 145 up Burnaby Mountain, I will say that a gondola is needed. Even in good weather the bus is passed by cars (not speeding) for almost the entire route. There are times in winter where they have to shut down buses and warn car drivers. The snow and ice up there can get downright scary.

That said it's expensive and not as 'sexy' as a skytrain out to UBC, so it's at a disadvantage. SFU has been willing to pitch in money for it.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Sheba

I seriously hope so. Having ridden the 145 up Burnaby Mountain, I will say that a gondola is needed. Even in good weather the bus is passed by cars (not speeding) for almost the entire route. There are times in winter where they have to shut down buses and warn car drivers. The snow and ice up there can get downright scary.

That said it's expensive and not as 'sexy' as a skytrain out to UBC, so it's at a disadvantage. SFU has been willing to pitch in money for it.

This article is from june this year, too bad translink doesn't see the benefit. I think that the gondola is a pretty sexy option, I'd ride it just for fun. Burnaby should pay for part of it but utilize it as a tourist attraction at the same time, are there other things in the area it could stop at? Plus the new development that's going up on the mountain should be used to help fund it.

Also it's mostly if not entirely gonna be a subway to UBC, the most un-sexy option. Subways are boring to ride, the awful lighting on the Canada line makes it even worse. It's like being in an office from the 80's.

Gondola plan revived by SFU prez
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/gondo...prez-1.2280864

[Sheba]

Gondola plan revived by SFU prez
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/gondo...prez-1.2280864

“I can advise you that after careful consideration of costs and benefits relative to all the other needs across the region, the Mayors’ Council decided not to commit to a new, fixed rapid transit connection to SFU within the 10-year Vision,” read an email statement to the NOW from TransLink.

I have no doubt that TransLink sees the benefit - it's just that they have a bunch of projects to do and not enough money.

Also it would only have two stops - one at the Skytrain and the other at the bus loop up at the top. Would that really make it worthwhile for tourists?

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Also it would only have two stops - one at the Skytrain and the other at the bus loop up at the top. Would that really make it worthwhile for tourists?

For tourist gondolas the number of stops is irrelevant - it's the view that counts. And for the price of a transit fare I'm sure it would get a reasonable number of tourists - just look at how many of them ride the Seabus.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Gondola plan revived by SFU prez
http://www.burnabynow.com/news/gondo...prez-1.2280864


I have no doubt that TransLink sees the benefit - it's just that they have a bunch of projects to do and not enough money.

Also it would only have two stops - one at the Skytrain and the other at the bus loop up at the top. Would that really make it worthwhile for tourists?

I really don't know the area very well. The view was moreso the idea, they could always check out SFU?

[retro_orange]

Maybe the gondola can do a circuit around the mountain?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

There's a bit of room for an elevated section west of Alma, but I don't see the Point Grey crowd going for it - or for a Skytrain, period.

I seem to remember (maybe someone on here can find it) if any on or above ground rail transit was proposed, the Point Grey crowd threatened to sue it to oblivion. Who knows if they'd win but they'd derail the whole process (no pun intended) and create a very expensive mess.

They'd probably also have a fit about it becoming an on or above ground line on UBC land, claiming noise pollution problems, etc. Sure they wouldn't have a whole lot of legal rights but he who yells loudest...

It's another reason why they'd decide to only go as far as Arbutus. Why deal with an expensive fight when they can spend the money elsewhere with far less issues. Not counting sinkholes, there has been less bitching about Evergreen.

[red-paladin]

I can say that I've taken American and German tourists to SFU and they loved the view, the sense of place, and the locations from Stargate!