Cable cars: The solution to traffic problems?!
The idea is not really new: a cable car that transports not only tourists in the mountains, but commuters in a big city. First examples were provided by Algiers, Kiel, La Paz, New York and Taipei. Transport planners in Germany are now examining in which German cities a cable car could be a useful addition to the existing network.
A major advantage of cable cars is their price. Compared to other railways such as trams, undergrounds or suburban trains, a cable car costs only a fraction. Whereas 300 to 500 million euros are quickly spent on a kilometre of underground railway, an entire cableway network including stations can be built for this amount. Whether it is really effective in transporting passengers has yet to be proven. A cable car can transport 7,000 people per hour, a metro with its own track bed 20,000.
If you look at the ropeway solutions that have been developed around the world so far, one thing stands out: Often the decision to build lies in the particular topography of the city. In Kiel in 1974 it was a question of shortening the distance between a shopping centre and the car parks, in New York the East River had to be bridged due to delayed underground construction. Usually, however, the city is situated on hills or in the mountains and the streets are so narrow that building a tram line would be far too expensive and inefficient. This is the case of LaPaz, where the first cable car opened in 2014 , of which there are now ten lines.
There are also cable cars in Munich and Berlin. But here they serve more of a tourist purpose and are not yet integrated into the public transport system. To change this, a feasibility study has been underway in Munich since 2019. In Berlin, such a study will be completed by 2023. It will show that cable cars can be a useful addition to close gaps, relieve the burden on public transport or extend or close existing lines at a reasonable price. Secondly, although cable cars would not prevent traffic jams, passengers would simply float over them instead of standing and waiting in the bus below. In addition, a cable car does not produce noise and harmful exhaust fumes and thus plays an active role in reducing a city's air pollution. So if used sensibly and thoughtfully, a cable car can significantly improve the public transport network.