TRAMWAY ENGINEERING LTD. | PO Box 398 | Glenwood Springs, CO 81602 | 970-945-5138
Considerations
1. Speed of Travel: Aerial people movers travel at a constant speed of 13 miles per hour. The carriers detach from the haul rope at each terminal to slow for loading and unloading. This process adds 70 seconds at each station.
2. Length: Aerial systems can be built as long as seven miles. However, when most passengers travel the entire length of the system, the practical length is about three miles.
3. Visual Impact: Since the system is elevated, there is a visual impact. Moving carriers can be seen from a distance. This level of visibility may be objectionable to some.
4. Privacy along Alignment: Passengers traveling in elevated carriers can see greater distances than if they were traveling at ground level. People living along the alignment may object to a perceived invasion of privacy.
5. Wind: The carriers are affected by high winds. Depending on the alignment; buildings and topography may act as a wind break. The carriers are suspended and will swing in high winds, but operations can continue at full speed with winds as high as 35 mph. The system must be slowed to reduce swinging with sustained wind between 35-50 mph. With sustained winds over 50 mph, the system must be stopped.
6. Lightning: Like all structures, lighting can strike an aerial people mover. Although there is no risk to passengers riding in the suspended carriers, special precautions must be taken to electrically isolate the terminals. It is common practice to stop loading an aerial system when lightning is in the immediate area. New lightning detection systems minimize the need to suspend operations.
7. Evacuation: Aerial people movers suspend passengers above the ground in enclosed carriers. The drive systems are specifically designed with triple redundancy to ensure that equipment failure does not require an aerial evacuation. In the highly unlikely event that the system breaks down to the point that the cable cannot be moved, passengers must be evacuated by trained professionals from below.
8. Security: Similar to light rails and subways, there is no operator in each carrier. There may be fear that traveling in an enclosed carrier with strangers is a security risk. This has not proven to be a problem with the existing aerial people movers. The presence of an attendant at each station, television surveillance and video recording of terminal activity may be a deterrent to unacceptable behavior.