[sustran] Re: monorails and other low capacity systems

Lee Schipper schipper at wri.org
Tue Feb 2 12:57:32 JST 2010


Finally a legal violation of the laws of thermodynamics! Ultimately,
however, don't you run out of heavier stuff to send down?

Lee

-----Original Message-----
From: Ranjith de silva [mailto:ranjithsd at sltnet.lk] 
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 7:54 PM
To: 'Ramon Munoz-Raskin'; Lee Schipper
Cc: sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org
Subject: RE: [sustran] Re: monorails and other low capacity systems

There is an old technology which has been further developed by Practical
Action Nepal called "Gravity Ropeways". This is a 100% emission free
technology using gravity to slide down a trolley on a steel cable with a
load of farm produce of poor communities living up in the mountains in
rural
Nepal.

There is a barking system that was developed to control the movements of
the
two trolleys (Heavier one comes down and the lighter one goes up). In
one of
the sites, this device has been able to reduce 2 hours of travel time by
foot to 3 minutes to transport vegetables/goods. However, this device is
used only for goods (freight) transportation but passengers due to
safety
factors. 

The wheel that is fixed to the brake system also turns very fast during
the
short operation of the ropeway/cable way. I think the energy generated
by it
can also be used as a dynamo to charge a battery (for lighting??)

For more information please visit URL:
http://practicalaction.org/transport/gravity_ropeways and/or technical
brief
http://practicalaction.org/transport/docs/region_nepal/gravity_ropeways_
nepa
l.pdf 

Thanks.

Ranjith

Ranjith de Silva
Regional Coordinator for Asia & the Pacific
International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD)
C/o. 319/10 Ramanayaka Mawatha
Erawwala
Pannipitiya 10230
Sri Lanka
 
Phone: +94 (11) 2842972 
 
Email: ranjith at ifrtd.org  
Web: www.ifrtd.org / www.ruralwaterways.org / www.mobilityandhealth.org
The IFRTD is a global network of individuals and organisations working
together towards improved access, mobility and economic opportunity for
poor
communities in developing countries.
 
International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD)
Company registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 6835743
Registered Address: 113 Spitfire Studios, 63-71 Collier Street, London.
N1
9BE. UK
 
-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+ranjithsd=sltnet.lk at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+ranjithsd=sltnet.lk at list.jca.apc.org] On
Behalf Of Ramon Munoz-Raskin
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 6:01 PM
To: Lee Schipper
Cc: sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org
Subject: [sustran] Re: monorails and other low capacity systems

Briefly: The Medellin aerial cable car is part of an integrated
transportation system approach. The system was created to provide
accessibility enhancements to deprived communities that had informally
developed in geographically constrainted locations (e.g. sides of a
steep
valley) where higher capacity systems such as large, ferquent pattern
bus
services would either not fit (narrow curvy streets) or would not be
able to
climb up there (to steep slopes), among other reasons. In my several
visits
to Medellin during the last few years I have understood well how this
system
is succesful there for daily regular commuting of these low-income
communities. Capacities are competitive with bus services. Something
worth
mentioning as well is the "democratization" and urban renovation that is
associated with an aerial cable car stop- these areas flourish. Tourism
is
marginal, but the city is very proud about it and, therefore, it is
definitely promoted as a tourist attraction.

Ramon Munoz-Raskin

On Sun, Jan 31, 2010 at 11:03 PM, Lee Schipper <schipper at wri.org> wrote:

>  Let me ask someone who really knows Colombia: Ramon?
>
> Lee Schipper
> Global Met Studies  UC Berkeley
> Precourt En Eff Center Stanford
>
>
>
> On Jan 31, 2010, at 20:01, "Sujit Patwardhan"
<patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Eric,
> From what I can see the Metro Cable in Medellin, Columbia is more
suited
to
> tourists than regular commuters. For latter, wouldn't space for
stations,
> connectivity with the street below and other associated problems need
to
be
> addressed?
> Google search gave this:
>
>
http://www.google.co.in/#hl=en&q=Metro+Cable+in+Medellin,+Columbia&start
=10&
sa=N&fp=c5b9ba6cbe6cba1e
> --
> Sujit
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 6:24 AM, <bruun at seas.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I want to add that some of the aerial systems have substantial
capacity.
>> Metro Cable in Medellin, Columbia is equal to a heavy bus route
>> or moderate LRT route in the US. Eric Bruun
>>
>>  Quoting Lee Schipper <schipper at wri.org>:
>>
>> > Let me weigh in on Eric Britton's side here. There are all kinds of
>> > high-flying ideas, called Pods or personal taxis or rail taxis or
>> > personal rapid transit or what-you-have. They are all interesting,
but
>> > as Eric says their scale is tiny compared to the access needs of
two
>> > billion people in cities around the world.  I remember taking the
>> > Monorail from the Disneyland Hotel into Disneyland in S. California
in
>> > the 1950s.  I rode the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal in 1999 and
recently
>> > rode the experimental, low-speed Maglev in Nagoya near the site of
Expo
>> > 2005. There are serious studies underway in Sweden and elsewhere
because
>> > these things have some merit. But so far that's as far as it goes.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > They are fine for those who want to build them and don't care who
rides
>> > them, particularly if they are built to shuttle small numbers of
people
>> > around fairgrounds, parking lots, etc.  But please let's not waste
even
>> > precious OPM (Other peoples' money, i.e., bilateral or multilateral
>> > assistance  funds) or our own funds when a huge need for access for
>> > ordinary folks goes unmet.  For Asian and Latin America cities, we
are
>> > looking at corridors requiring over 1 million trips per day and
cities
>> > with 20-30 million trips/day at the beginning of development, i.e.,
less
>> > than 2 trips/day/person.  How will Shanghai provide 50 million
trips/day
>> > in 2020? I don't see any evidence that these small systems can
provide
>> > much relief except where an aerial tramway or other small system
has to
>> > climb a hill for a few hundred people/hour.  The "nostalgic,
>> > semi-underground cog-railway  in Istanbul is a  good example here.
But
>> > we have to focus what limited funds we have on moving the masses
>> > cleanly, smoothly, reliably, equitably, and above all rapidly.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Lee
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --------------------------------------------------------
>> > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
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>> >
>> > --------------------------------------------------------
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>> > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>> > equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing
>> > countries (the 'Global South').
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------
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>>
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>> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing
countries
>> (the 'Global South').
>>
>
>
>
> --
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> "..each million we invest into urban motorways is an investment
> to destroy the city"
>
> Mayor Hans Joachim Vogel
> Munich 1970
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Sujit Patwardhan
> patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
> sujitjp at gmail.com
>
>
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> Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007, India
> Tel: +91 20 25537955
> Cell: +91 98220 26627
>
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>


-- 
Ramon Munoz-Raskin, MS, MEng
Phone: +1-202-316-8701 ramon.cmr at gmail.com
-------------------------------------------------------- 
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