Cable cars: the future of commuting?

Hidden in a press release announcing how interesting parties are coming together to form a new pressure group for the UK cable car industry – yes, really – was a little nugget of gold. This new organisation believes cable cars could play a much greater role in our public transport network. The first urban cable car in the country is currently under development in London. Called the Emirates Air Line. Open this summer, it will cross the River Thames at Greenwich, close to the O2 Arena, as part of the Olympics transport network. So where else might cable cars work? I contacted the new organisation – UK Cable Car Advisers – to ask, and they said in places like Liverpool or Bristol where rivers, harbours or valleys create transport challenges. The believe there may also be opportunities for additional systems in London. It’s an interesting idea, one I quite like, because there’s obviously a tourism attraction to cable cars as well.