| Author: | Dean Hall |
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This document is a response to Andrew Burleson's Cable-Propelled Challenge. In this document, I describe an installation of two gondola segments that connect the Northwest Transit Center (NWTC) to two popular entertainment and shopping destinations in Houston, TX, U.S.A.
The Northwest Cable-Propelled Transit (CPT) is a gondola-style transit system with two terminal stations and a central exchange station. The NWTC Station is located on the property of the Northwest Transit Center on the Southeast corner of Post Oak Rd and Old Katy Rd. The IMAX Station is an exchange station located partially in a parking lot and partially on open green space in front of the Regal Marq'e Entertainment Center. The IKEA Station is located on some green space in front of the IKEA store.
The segment from the NWTC to the IMAX theater is 0.45 mi (0.7 Km) and the segment from the IMAX to the IKEA is 0.5 mi (0.9 Km). These stretches are of a walkable distance with sidewalks, but being so close to such a busy and fast highway frontage road makes walking unpleasant.
The Northwest Transit Center serves many bus routes and will soon serve as the Northern terminal of the Uptown light rail line; however, the NWTC is not a destination. There are no convenient places to walk to from the NWTC. The nearest entertainment and shopping destinations are one half mile away along a deserted sidewalk adjacent to a high-speed Interstate frontage road. The design of the entertainment and shopping destinations is oriented towards automobile use. However, a gondola service from the NWTC to these popular destinations would obviate the need for a car and add to the enjoyment of going to the theater or the IKEA store.
The large parking lots in place around both destinations could also be used as park-and-ride lots for weekday commuters. Since both destinations have minimal weekday daytime traffic and heavy weekend and evening traffic, there would be little competition for these parking stalls.
This CPT route from the NWTC to the entertainment and shopping destinations is clearly a transit issue and should be built and operated by Houston METRO. However because the gondola directly serves two private properties, those property owners might subsidize the construction of the gondola. The incentive to do so is increased accessibility to their properties.