The urban gondola has come a long way in the last decade. Steven Dale, a principal with SCJ Alliance, which provides consulting for gondola projects around the world, said gondolas can overcome challenges that other transit systems cannot.

“Gondolas are clearly going to be useful in situations where there are clear topographical challenges – rivers, steep elevation changes and bodies of water are natural candidates,” said Dale. “But man-made, built-form topography is also ideal. Congested roads, highways and parklands can also benefit. There are generally few situations where cable cars cannot be viable transit modal alternatives.”