You are on page 1of 19

URBAN GONDOLAS,

AERIAL ROPEWAYS AND


PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
PAST MISTAKES AND
FUTURE STRATEGIES
Ryan OConnor and Steven Dale
Overview
Introduction
Scope and purpose of paper
Current UPT and urban gondola market
Three industry specific hurdles
The urban disconnect
Chasing the wrong installations
Resistance to change
Conclusions
Questions / comments
Author profiles
Ryan OConnor BRP hons., PGCertBus, GNZPI
Presenter
Town Planning Consultant based in Wellington, New
Zealand
Steven Dale Hons. B.A., B.Urb.
Creative Urban Projects (CUP) based in Toronto,
Canada
Creator of The Gondola Project website
Two urban planners with previous involvement
with the ropeway industry, urban transport
proposals and research


Scope and purpose of paper
Paper does not research the merits of urban
gondolas that has been done before
Explores industry specific obstacles and
solutions to sustainable growth in the UPT
market from an urban planners perspective
Focuses on detachable aerial ropeways
(urban gondolas)
Designed to stimulate debate by presenting a
subjective opinion on the current situation and
future possibilities of the urban gondola market




Current UPT and urban gondola market
Urban gondolas are now competitive with more
traditional UPT technologies yet are still rarely
considered a viable alternative
The industry is selling more ropeways to the
urban market than ever before - why change
the current strategy?
Success should be measured against market
opportunities as opposed to moderate
increases in sales
Different issues exist in the urban market, thus
different strategies are required to capture it
Growth in urban ropeway installations
0
1
2
3
4
5
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
8
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
7
2
0
0
8
2
0
0
9
2
0
1
0
2
0
1
1
Current UPT and urban gondola market
Urbanization presents favorable demographic
and economic trends for the UPT market
There are significant opportunities for urban
gondolas in dense urban environments
The industry is well positioned to capture
growth, but there are risks of not taking
proactive steps
A strategic approach is required to ensure
favorable positioning translates into success
Mistake 1: The Urban Disconnect
The UPT market is complex and considerably
different than the tourist / winter market
A particular problem is poor access to accurate
and up-to-date information for industry
outsiders
Urban professionals and the public are ill-
informed of the technologies capabilities
Rubbish in, rubbish out phenomena
The urban disconnect continues




Example: CTV News
These images were used to explain what an urban
gondola is on prime-time news. In this case, a prime
marketing opportunity for the technology turned out
to be both detrimental and counterproductive.
Mistake 2: Chasing the wrong installations
Procurement in the UPT market is
considerably different than the tourist / winter
market
Opening, qualifying and closing sales leads
demanding and costly
Expect to field increased queries and
propositions from UPT market
Prioritizing resources is essential
Is the existing sales model is suitably
equipped for the UPT market?

Mistake 3: Resistance to change
Sustaining vs. disruptive technologies
The industry has triumphed at innovation when
required in the tourist / winter market, but not
so much the UPT market
Paper specifies potential innovations of benefit
Risk of not innovating, someone else will!
Example: High Speed Rail and Chinese
innovation
Overview of Solutions
Paper highlights 15 specific solutions
tackling two core areas:
Better addressing the underlying structure that
takes the product to the market - providing
accurate and effective information to the right
people
Technology and system design could benefit
from targeted innovation specific to UPT



Some of the key solutions...
Participate in the research process. Fund or
assist in high-quality research and ensure that
it spreads throughout the urban/transport
planning community.
Use education and due diligence processes as
a tool to identify and prioritize sound urban
gondola opportunities while ignoring those
unlikely to be realized.
Identify system characteristics that require
innovation for the UPT market and invest in
research and development in those core areas.





Conclusions
The industry has thrived the tourist / winter
market it has innovated when faced with
difficult challenges
The future for the industry in the UPT market
appears promising and lucrative
Strategies tailored to the UPT market are
required
Manufacturers are well placed, but a proactive
and strategic approach will ensure success

Lastly....
Thank you to the International Organization for
Transportation by Rope (O.I.T.A.F) for
providing us the opportunity to present this
paper to you today!

Questions....
Do not hesitate to approach Steven or myself
(Ryan) at the Congress to discuss any points
in further detail
Or contact us by email at -
ryan@planningservices.co.nz
steven@creativeurbanprojects.com

You might also like