France to use cable cars as form of green transport

Date: 7/11/2012

France is to be the next country to jump on board with the idea of using cable cars as an everyday mode of transport.

In the past the systems have been used mainly for transferring skiers to the top of mountains, but a number of countries have used them effectively for more widespread purposes.

The first location in France to have one of the new cable car systems installed will be Brest in Brittany, which is expected to be completed by 2015, reports The Guardian.

A cable car has been chosen as the most environmentally friendly form of transport for crossing the river Penfeld and connecting the Plateau des Capucins with the city centre by the local council.

An eco neighbourhood is being set up on the 12 hectare site where houses, shops, cultural facilities and businesses will all be created.

Originally the idea to connect the community to the town was via a footbridge, but as naval vessels would need to pass underneath, this approach was abandoned.

Instead the new cable cars will be capable of transporting 2,000 passengers an hour across the river and into town.

As well as being a green form of transport the benefits of cable cars are that they are also cost effective, safe and require relatively little infrastructure.

When compared to a tram line, cable cars cost half the price over the same distance, with some able to transport 8,000 passengers an hour.

Another cable car is due to open in Toulouse in 2017, which will make the most of one of the biggest benefits of the system – getting over obstacles.

The river Garonne and a large hill separate the sites of the Oncopole Cancer Research Centre, Rangueil hospital and Paul Sabatier University, but a cable car will be used to connect all three.

It will also link up with the metro system in order to add to an integrated transport network capable of transporting 7,000 passengers an hour.

Joël Carreiras, a member of Toulouse town council and Vice President of the Metropolitan Council tasked with Transport, said: "This is neither a gadget nor a tourist attraction; it is all about transport.

"We either had to dig a tunnel, or go over the top, and we didn't have the necessary finance."

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News