When Other Transit Modes Won't Do, There's Always Sky Gondolas

One Toronto-area man is hoping that cable cars in the sky will one day complete the metro's transit system, but transportation experts see limited use for the technology.

2 minute read

February 29, 2016, 8:00 AM PST

By jwilliams @jwillia22


Maokong Sky Gondola

Prince Roy / Flickr

Keanin Loomis, a resident of Hamilton, Ontario has sky-high visions of a cable car system that will whisk commuters around the area's often difficult topography. He’s so enamored with the idea that he's asked system expert Steven Dale to meet with Hamilton’s Mayor and city staff to discuss the idea. Steve Arnold of The Hamilton Spectator reports that although sky gondolas have taken off in other parts of the world, adoption in North America remains limited.

Traditionally, North Americans have seen cable cars as a fixture of ski resorts or tourist areas. Other parts of the world have been more open minded, seeing them as one component of an urban transit system.

La Paz, Bolivia, has built a network of gondola cars into its transit system — a $235 million chain of 11 stations capable of handling 9,000 passengers an hour. The service has been said to cut commuting time for suburban travellers from two hours to 25 minutes.

Support for such systems has been building in areas where the cost of building around topographical barriers has made more traditional transit options difficult. The footprint of the systems is small and they can be built rather quickly. In addition, they can be built cheaply—a feasibility study for a system in San Diego found that a sky gondola system would cost up to $37.5 million per mile versus $200 million per mile for a light rail system. However, as Arnold notes, integrating sky gondolas into existing metro systems can be difficult and versus other systems (light rail, bus, etc.) can be very slow in moving people from one place to the next.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 in Hamilton Spectator

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

White Waymo autonomous car driving fast down city street with blurred background at night.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars

Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

6 hours ago - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

June 16 - UNM News