Fantasy or Imagination?

Parents who chose to enrol their young children in a Montessori school would know the huge difference between fantasy and imagination, and which one should be nurtured in very young minds. Fantasy is a conjuring of an improbable thing, place, or situation, and is thus a journey in the realm of impossibility. Imagination, on the other hand, is the ability to conceptualise objects which are not present but have the potential of becoming reality, and is therefore a step towards creativity.

A couple of weeks ago, the senator who garnered the highest number of votes in the last election was pilloried on social media for suggesting ropeways and cable cars as a means of addressing the country’s traffic woes. Many netizens accused him of fantasizing, of being divorced from reality, and of offering whimsical solutions to a perennial and pressing problem in the metropolis. Memes sprouted at once, mocking the suggestion and the thinking that went with it. A few clarifications from the senator and some favourable reactions from relevant personalities later, the tide shifted. Some quarters hailed the suggestion for being imaginative and bold, with certain officials stating that not only was the suggestion feasible, but the government has also been seriously considering it as an option to address the huge gap between the demand for and the availability of public transportation options.

Could cable cars really be the answer to our congested cities’ traffic woes? Could they provide the tired and weary masses a viable alternative to the endless wait for jeepneys and buses and the long snaking lines at LRT and MRT stations? First, one must clarify what a cable car system is and look at how it was deployed by those who came before as a means of transport. Next, one should weigh the risks and rewards of building, operating and maintaining the system. And finally, one ought to examine if and how it fits the setting it is proposed to improve.

While there are claims that the first documentation of the use of cable propulsion goes back to 250 BC, less apocryphal accounts would bear out the fact that for hundreds of years, rope propelled transit was used to move people and goods, such as miners and minerals, across topographic barriers like rivers and ravines. It was in the 1800’s however, as steel production flourished and the industrial applications of steam and, later, electric power widened, when inventions and innovations to the system quickly unfolded. The possibility of making long and solid cables made of steel opened new possibilities for the eventual construction and operation of cable cars, funiculars, ski lifts and aerial tramways and ropeways.

As an aside, the musically inclined among us would note that the Neapolitan song Funiculi Funicula was composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius. Unfortunately, that funicular was destroyed when the volcano erupted in 1944.

Simply put, a cable car system moves a carrier, which has no motor or engine of its own, between points A and B by pulling a cable to which that carrier is attached. The carrier can be bottom-supported, which means it sits on tracks or rails, and is attached to a cable that pulls it. Examples of a bottom-supported carrier include the San Francisco cable cars, the Peak Tramway in Hong Kong, the Montmartre Funicular in Paris, the Mandalay Bay Tram in Las Vegas, and the AirRail Link at Birmingham Airport. Or the carrier could be top-supported, meaning it hangs on a cable which, depending on the technology used, may or may not be the same cable used to propel it. Examples of a top-supported carrier include the Singapore Cable Car to Sentosa, the Emirates Air Line in Greenwich, the Masada Cableway in Israel, the Klein Matterhorn Aerial Tramway in Switzerland which, at 3883 meters is the highest cable car in Europe, and the Sugarloaf Cable Car in Rio de Janeiro, to name a few.

As the carriers have no motor or engine on board, the propulsion is provided by an engine and a bull wheel in a wheelhouse at one end of the system. Typically, a passive supporting wheel sits at the other end to hold the propulsion cable. In between, the cable is supported by towers which would vary in size, height and footprint depending on span distances and system capacities.

In 2004, Medellin, Colombia became the first place in the world to fully integrate cable cars into its existing metro rail system. Since then, a growing number of urban areas across the globe have begun installing cable car systems of their own, thereby effectively shifting usage from tourism to mass transportation. Paris is currently building Cable1, set to open in 2025. It will have five stations along the 4.5 km distance between Pointe-du-Lac in Créteil and Bois-Matar in Villeneuve-St-Georges. Up to 3,200 passengers per hour will be able to use the cable car, which will relieve road traffic. Strategically placed to serve a high-demand area, a single cable car line can carry upwards of 20,000 passengers daily. In La Paz, Bolivia, the Mi Teleférico mass transit system carries up to 163,000 passengers daily. The Ha Long Bay Queen cable car in Vietnam has double decker cars that can fit up to 230 passengers.

What are the benefits of building a cable car system, and what are the risks associated with it? A study published by the World Bank in 2020 looked at 21 urban aerial cable cars systems of varying specifications. The study clearly showed that the systems were able to reduce travel times and exhaust emissions from vehicles, thus improving the quality of life of the populations they serve. In some instances, the crime rate went down because connectivity opened job opportunities, and CCTV cameras mounted in the gondolas made the journey safer than being on the road. Cable cars are cheaper to build than railways, tunnels, and bridges. They require a smaller footprint on the ground and operate quietly using electricity. Long-term costs are also lower – personnel costs do not include wages for drivers and conductors, while maintenance cost is minimal.

But there are risks worth considering as well. The cost of electricity needed to operate the system must be measured, and a back-up system in case of a power failure is required. A strict maintenance regimen and a contingency plan should also be in place to ensure the safety and reliability of the system. Stories abound of system failures and fatal accidents. Over 200 people were stuck at the top station of Sandia Peak Tramway in New Mexico due to lightning as the thunderstorm led to a power outage. In May 2021, an aerial tram in Italy crashed to the ground after a propulsion cable snapped about five metres from the summit, killing fourteen passengers. Last April in India, a cable car got dislodged and hit another, instantly killing one passenger. As authorities attempted a difficult helicopter retrieval, two passengers fell to their death while being rescued. It took three days before the last passengers were brought to the ground. In Singapore last month, eighteen people were stranded for an hour and a half due to an operating system error that halted the Mount Faber Line.

And so, the final question we ought to ask is this: Would cable cars be a good option for Metro Manila and other cities in the Philippines? The answer would probably rest on whether the lines could be seamlessly integrated with the more conventional mass transport system. If not, it would merely be a case of transporting passengers from one point to another and then subjecting them to the same challenges of waiting for a jeepney or a bus, or queueing for a long time to get on the platforms of the LRT or MRT.

Another consideration would be the country’s geographical location along the Ring of Fire. Would the cable car system be safe despite earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? Can the cables and towers withstand the onslaught of typhoons? Does the government have the wherewithal to mount rescue operations in case of mishaps? And what about the cost of building, operating, and maintaining the system? Will there be investors willing to engage the government in a PPP venture? Will certain governments or international financing institutions be willing to extend concessional loans to fund the project?

These and many other considerations will need to be carefully studied and analyzed before one could say in earnest whether we are fantasizing or imagining. A good mental exercise perhaps while stewing in EDSA’s usual traffic jams.