Mass Transport Solutions for Cebu City Aerial Ropeways

Introduction

At the end of 2014, Cebu Provinces population reached the 7 millionth mark, with 3.4 million Cebuanos spread out in urbanized jungles like Cebu City, and its neighboring towns and cities of Talisay, Minglanilla, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Consolacion, Lilo-an, Cordova, and Danao. And around that time, traffic in Metro Cebu, especially during school and office rush hours, was becoming a problem, with the average speed moving slower at 10 - 15 kph. Public transportation like jeepneys and multicabs carry about 65% of the daily trips, while taxis and (vehicle hires) V-hires carry 10%, and, private vehicles carry a good 25%. The magnitude of the traffic problems of Cebu city will only worsen with the increased in population. And the increase in population, also increases demand for urbanization and, with increased urbanization come the ever increasing demand for viable transport infrastructure. (Credit: Ruben Almendras, The Freeman, Feb 25, 2015)

In our quest to a more livable and sustainable city, we must first create a favorable prospect for the urban public transport market, then, find new solutions to our current and future transport problems - and this is where aerial ropeways can be part of the solution - by providing an innovative and attractive approach to public transport. (Credit: Katharina Bernard, AERIAL ROPEWAY SYSTEMS AND CITIES CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS).

The Aerial Ropeway Transport SystemCredit: Michael Hudler

The Aerial Ropeway Transport System (ARTS) is a type of aerial public transportation where passengers are transported via cabins that are suspended and pulled by cables. Some cities, resembling that of Cebus transport infrastructure, have already adopted this system, and theyve just recently discovered aerial ropeways inherent flexibility and adaptability, giving it capabilities that no other transit technologies share. Most of the appeal comes in the technologys low-cost deployment, environmental friendliness and ability to utilize air space rather than much-needed ground space. (Credit: Erika Swallow, Can Gondolas Fix Urban Transportation Woes? Jul 2013)

Monocable Detachable Gondola (MDG)Monocable detachable gondola lifts have one main cable acting as carrying and hauling at the same time. Large windows offer passengers a panoramic view, with built-in solar panels for Wi-Fi connection while traveling. The cabins of this type of installation transport up to 10 passengers per cabin. These lifts are increasingly in demand for alternative purposes, such as transport to tourist sights, urban commuting, and as attractions in themselves.

Advantages of Aerial Ropeway Systems

Popularity and Reliability: With the exception of San Franciscos system, modern cable transit is not manually operated; its fully automated, which eliminates the cost of drivers and increases safety levels. This full automation offers the promise of unmatched reliability and efficiency levels; current systems boast reliable less-than-one-minute (LT1M) wait times between vehicles.This potential is key to the ridership level of any public transit system. According to the Transportation Research Board, wait times are 2.0 2.5 times more onerous to riders than actual in-vehicle time, and the reliability of those wait times is equally important. While most rail-based transit lines experience ridership that is half what was forecasted, cable tends to experience ridership above forecasts.Cost: ARTS is cheap to build and maintain. The vehicles operate without engines, which drives down construction and maintenance costs. Cable transit systems can be built and maintained for a fraction of the cost of typical light rail systems.Generally speaking, the cost of cable transit is about 1/3 to 2/3 the cost of other standard fixed link transit (all things being equal of course). Costs provided should not be considered conclusive, but rather are approximate offered as a general guide. When estimating any public transit infrastructure, authorities, planners, and decision makers must consider a wide variety of variables in their local context before arriving at final values. While the cost of cable transit infrastructure is relatively straight forward, land acquisition, civil and customization costs will factor in. Operations and maintenance costs also differ based on country (wages); technology (number of stations and therefore attendants); and usage (major replacements are effected by usage.) (Credit: Katharina Bernard , AERIAL ROPEWAY SYSTEMS AND CITIES CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS)

Safety: With the exception of elevators, there are few public transit technologies with as good a safety record as cable. Over 10,000 cable installations operate worldwide, transporting billions of people per year, yet accidents are rare and fatalities are almost unheard of. Aerial ropeways are one of the worlds safest forms of transportation. Research from the Swiss government demonstrates that gondolas and cable cars are safer than all other forms of mass public transit and private automobiles. Statistically speaking, the chances of a person experiencing a serious injury or fatality while riding a cable lift is remarkably low. (Credit: Katharina Bernard, AERIAL ROPEWAY SYSTEMS AND CITIES CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS)

Energy Efficiency: From an environmental standpoint, cable is in a class of its own. Due to its use of gravity and counter-balancing, it is not uncommon for maintenance workers to witness a cable systems energy consumption drop below zero during peak loads. That is, the system itself can generate power.

Speed: Cable transit can operate at speeds of up to 45 km/hr, well in excess of the average speeds of most traditional transit technologies. According to the American Public Transit Association, buses average approximately 20 km/hr; subways 33 km/hr; and light rail 24 km/hr. Average speed in urban public transit is dependent upon station spacing and right of way, not technology choice.As an example, on our proposed phase 1 project (Mactan International Airport to IT Park): The distance between SM city and Ayala Center is roughly 1.5 Km. At the rate the cable car makes, it will only take 1 2 minutes travel time (without any stops) from one station to the next. On our phase 1 proposal, with a total of 10.5 to 11 kilometers cable travel, it will roughly take 10 - 15 minutes travel time from IT Park all the way to the airport, compared to 1 2 hours by land travel (minus the hassle of traffic).Capacity: Aerial cable transit systems can move up to 10,000 persons per hour per direction (pphpd) while ground-based systems can move up another 10,000 pphpd. There is no single light rail line in all of North America that offers capacity greater than 3,700 pphpd and the average is less than 1,700.Adaptability / Flexibility: While its true that most cable installations cater to tourists, there is no reason to assume that they must. Similarly, just because most cable transit uses short line lengths, does not mean that the technology cannot be implemented over great distances. The technology is highly adaptable: while crossing rivers and climbing mountains are obvious applications, a system in Slovakia, for example, transports cars instead of people.

The Vinpearl Island Gondola. The US$6 million dollar system links the Vietnamese mainland with the Vinpearl Island resort across 3 km of sea.The system is designed to withstand monsoons and earthquakes.Image: Jame at Flickr.com

Ecological Footprint: A ropeway is based on the principle of continuous movement. As such, it is a closed system which does not require energy to move its dead weight. Ropeways only require energy to overcome mechanical friction and to move uneven payloads on the uphill/downhill sides. This means there are no losses of braking energy from carriers travelling downhill as found, for example, in the case of buses. Furthermore, ropeways/Cable Liners do not produce local emissions of pollutants during operation! (Credit: Katharina Bernard, AERIAL ROPEWAY SYSTEMS AND CITIES CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS)

Operational Efficiency: The ropeway is a means of public transport which can be optimally linked to existing transport systems. Particularly in cases where there are barriers to overcome (such as traffic jams, buildings, waterways, roads or railway lines), ropeways can cost many times less than ground-based transport systems requiring expensive bridges or tunnels to circumvent obstacles. However, it is not only investment costs where ropeways score, but also in terms of energy consumption and personnel costs. With very limited staffing exclusively in the stations, ropeways can carry up to 10,000 passengers an hour the equivalent of 100 buses.

(Credit: Katharina Bernard, AERIAL ROPEWAY SYSTEMS AND CITIES CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS)

Benchmarking Aerial Ropeway Transport Systems Countries that have implemented ARTS technology:

La Paz, Bolivia- This city in South America is the closest to resemble Cebu City in terms of landscape and transport infrastructure. The system has become so successful that the country has just implemented 2 more lines making La Paz the longest aerial ropeway transport in the world.

Caracas, Venezuela TheMetrocable deCaracasis an aerial ropewaysystem integrated with the city's public transportnetwork, which provides quick and safe transportation for those who live in the neighborhoods situated on Caracas' mountainous regions. The system was built as a tool for social reform with stations set up to accommodate a variety of services such as daycares, libraries, police stations, markets and theatres.