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Could Gondolas Be a Metro Atlanta Transportation Solution?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with MyMidtownMojo.com |770.713.1505 | Intown Atlanta GA Condo Living 272617

Could Gondolas Be a Metro Atlanta Transportation Solution?

Having never traveled to Italy, when you mention the world gondola to me, my first thought comes to the ski resorts of Montana or Colorado! Those big cable cars as they are also called, to take multiple skiiers to the top of the mountain at one time, without the exposure of the elements on a traditional chair lift. And many times, in the summer months, take people to the top of the mountain for breathtaking vistas, and lunch at a ski chalet. 

But imagine the same thing whisking you over I-285, or from the Sandy Springs Marta station to Ravina/ and surrounding office locations? Could that be possible?

Well, the cities of Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and Brookhaven are expected to launch a study to see if those very ski gondolas might be an answer to the ever growing problem of traffic.

Using gondolas for public transportation, certainly for a short distance. are being considered in these communities, says Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul. Sandy Springs and Brookhaven have also mentioned a monorail system to connect their residents to MARTA Stations. 

See, in areas like Midtown Atlanta, served by the Midtown and North Avenue transit stations, most of the nearby residences and office buildings are walkable from the station. But head to Buckhead, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, and the same office buildings are not at all walkable from their transit stations.  Office buildings can easily be a mile or more for one of the stations.

Paul estimates that construction costs for a gondola mile could be around $5 million. "Gondolas could be a way to expand MARTA's reach and even maybe make transportation fun," Paul said in an interview with WXIA-TV.

Think about it. 

A gondola station would not have to be nearly as large as a light rail or heavy rail station like MARTA. With today's creative minds and engineering, supporting poles could be hidden with "fake" landscape. 

It makes me think of riding over Disney World or Disneyland! 

I think it's these very "out-of-the-box" thinking the entire Metro Atlanta region needs to embrace. We are quickly becoming prisoner's in our automobiles. 

Comments (1)

Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

My first thought was... there is no water.  But you meant a gondola lift. LOL  Good idea, but not sure I would ride it.

Feb 20, 2016 01:19 AM