URBAN GONDOLAS, AERIAL ROPEWAYS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: PAST MISTAKES AND FUTURE STRATEGIESRyan O’Connor 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 O’Connor 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

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