When the idea of the ferris wheel for Mann Island came about everybody was happy, but some suggested something a little more original- something that could be uniquely Liverpool (as a UK city). Well how about Cable cars?? They could do the following:
1) Carry people from PSDA over the Strand to Albert Dock.
2) Carry people over the Mersey as well (superior to a bridge as it is cheaper and shields people from the elements.)
3) Would be iconic for a UK city
4) Would be a big hit with tourists who could do some real site-seeing as well as being used by commuters within Merseyside.
Check out my renderings (Originals: first pic by Bunnyman, other by Dave (Liverpool Pictorial.co.uk)- cheers guys.)
I can find hardly anything on the net about cable cars >( Unfortunately the American translation of 'cable car' is a tram, so I keep ending up back atthe San Franscisco tram system :doh: - I'm surprised there isn't some nutter out there with a website about them. Oh well.
Blabbern, here is a link to a story about the Sheffield cable car idea. I don't think anything ever came of it, which is a pity......my own southern town is very hilly and I have been proselytising for cable cars ever since I read about the Sheffield scheme, but you just get laughed at. People think they are just for skiing holidays, not an ecological and fun form of public transport. I'll see if I can find any more, as there was a site with diagrams of the Sheffield propososal.
Incidentally, I suggested a cable car linking the city centre to B of the Bang on p15 of the Piccadilly Gardens thread on the Manc thread, but sadly my idea fell on stony ground and the reaction was entirely hostile:
"I had my first view of B of the Bang from there, and even from a distance I could realise how wrong I was about that. In fact, I liked it so much, I thought there were should be three or four more B of the bangs, each one bigger than the last, plotted on a line from the existing one into the city centre, terminating in one in / close to the centre, which would have lift shaft/escalators and viewing pods. Each one would get bigger than the last, so the existing one would be the smallest of them, and the final one would be more glass than metal. Perhaps a cable car could run between them, creating a new public transport link between the city centre and East Manchester"
Thanks very much! I didn't know Sheffield had ever proposed cable cars. It does sound like an unusual, perhaps even silly idea, but as the article demonstrates it is actually very, very practical. Unfortunately, ideas like this require people to have imagination and to think laterally.
"They are quiet, pollution-free and you don't have to build bridges or buy up land to put this transport system in place," he says. "Cable cars can bypass congestion on the streets and will complement the city's bus and tram services."
He estimates that a cable system covering the city centre could be built for the cost of extending the city's Supertram service by just one mile.
Imagine how well this could work for Liverpool. By 2015 the water front from Alexandra Tower to the far end of Kings Dock will be very built up and will be a big visitor hot-spot. A cable car would fit in brilliantly- it would look as good for Liverpool as it does for Manhatten. And it would serve a very useful function for everyone.
I would also guess that it would be cheaper to build than a bridge (or a monorail) and would add to consumer choice for Mersey crossings. In fact, it could be like the Alton Towers system and could take people to various points all around the city centre!
Imagine being able to travel over big cruise liners travelling over the Mersey!
I think you could have something there Blabber. A cable car ride not to take you over to New Brighton or Birkenhead but a route to run as you say from Alexandra Tower all the way through to the BQT (if it gets built). I think this would be a fantastic ride as you pass the three graces, over the canal, past the Albert Dock and the soon to be fantastic Kings Dock Arena complex.
There could be stops along the way. It could be mainly for tourists but I'm sure city workers would use it to travel back to their apartments.
I've been on the helecopter ride around Manhattan and it was fantastic being up in the air but still being able to look up at the tall buildings. This would be the case for the cable car as it won't be that high but high enough to have an effect on it's passengers. :cheers:
I can find hardly anything on the net about cable cars >( Unfortunately the American translation of 'cable car' is a tram, so I keep ending up back atthe San Franscisco tram system :doh: - I'm surprised there isn't some nutter out there with a website about them. Oh well.
Blabber, the link below is about the mother of all cable car rides. It goes to the top of the Aiguille Du Midi near Chamonix in the French Alps. I went on this back in summer 2000. The ride was just awesome. When it reaches the top at 12,600 ft, the cable car is almost travelling vertically. It was great listening to the screams as it passed over each changeover.
There's also a small museum/exhibition at ground level as it was such a feat of engineering during construction. Have a read, it's amazing.
I have been back through all of the threads repeatedly and I just cannot see the 'New Mersey Crossing thread'. I have probably been a complete rem and over looked it several times. It has either disappeared (-is that possible?) or I have simply overlooked it. Well anyway, this article from today's Echo on the new Runcorn Bridge.- I will just put it in this thread instead...
Support for new bridge May 6 2005
By Nick Coligan, Liverpool Echo
BUSINESS leaders have joined forces to lobby the new government for a second bridge across the Mersey.
Supporters of the Mersey Gateway campaign today sent a letter to the Department for Transport urging approval for the long-awaited scheme.
They insist there is a compelling case for a new river crossing between Runcorn and Widnes and that time is of the essence.
Campaigners hoped to be given the green light before the general election, but no announcement was made.
Documents outlining the proposed £260m scheme were submitted to the government at the end of last year.
Cllr Tony McDermott, chairman of the Mersey Gateway Campaign and leader of Halton council said: "We have worked very hard over the years to build up a relationship with the Department for Transport at a political level and we want this issue to be at the very top of the new secretary of state's in-tray."
Organisations signing up to the letter include Jaguar, the CBI, Littlewoods, John Lennon airport, United Utilities, Pilkington Glass, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and the ECHO.
It says: "With a powerful and robust proposal in place that commands resounding support, the time is right for a positive statement from government.
"We would now urge your support for the Mersey Gateway so that work can begin to deliver this vital piece of infrastructure for the future economic growth of the north west."
If the government gives the green light, detailed work towards a planning application will step up. A public inquiry would follow and it is hoped the new bridge could be in place by 2012.
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