Are ropeway systems the future of people moving within the city of Buffalo?  There is seems to be growing interest in aerial ropeway transportation to the Buffalo waterfront and beyond.  To this point conversation has  centered around  pictures showing existing short distance systems in operation around the world and in the United States.  They are touted as being efficient,  attractive, inexpensive, quiet, energy-saving  and scenic.

What gets neglected has been totally ignored in the conversation is the 800 pound gorilla in the room – WIND.

According to City-Data.com Cheektowaga (#35), Amherst (#36), Buffalo (#37) and Niagara Falls (#38) make its Top 101 windiest city list.  All 3 have an average speed of 11.8 mph.   Where monthly stats exists, i.e. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,  the months of November, December, January, February and March would have a major impact of local cost single ropeway transportation as the average wind speed rises to 12.6, 13.1, 14.0, 13.3, 13.1 miles per hour .  Additionally NOAA identifies something we know already, particularly those living along the Lake Erie shoreline.  This area’s prevailing winds arrive from the Southwest, South-Southwest, or Westerly direction, blowing laterally across the shoreline and major roadways.

This means that anyone inside an aerial gondola along the waterfront would not be moving into the wind or with the wind at their gondola’s back.  You would be buffeted by the wind.

There is a very busy tram system in operation serving Roosevelt Island in the middle of the New York City’s East River.  A blog titled Roosevelt Island Online recorded post from people who were on the tram during a windy day:

Very windy day on Saturday. gcris tweeted:  Roosevelt Island Tram. Nothing scarier than being suspended on 3 wires on windy day above the East River.

Roosevelt Island 360 reports on a message he received from a passenger on Saturday’s Tram:  Today’s ride (02-19-2011) was HORRIBLE. People were screaming inside. Due to high wind the cabin was swinging terribly. I’ll never take the tram during windy days. I was scared to death!  I spoke with a Tram Operator on Sunday who was on duty Saturday. The Operator told me that the Tram handled the high winds fine on Saturday.

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC), the Tram:  Operates in all weather conditions except for lightning and winds over 50 miles per hour.

I hope your Tram ride was uneventful and that there was no screaming during the journey over the East River.

The Roosevelt Tram was constructed in 1976 and refurbished in 2010 at a cost of $25 million for its 3,100 foot length.  That is $8,064.52 per foot.

Another problem with the ropeway was discovered in a study prepared for Portland State University in Portland, OR.  This city has a Ropeway in use.  The study found that with current technology, the longer the Ropeway the less the passenger load and the less frequent number of cars in use.  Length causes diminishing returns and increased cost.  You can read that study here:

http://web.pdx.edu/~bertini/courses/558/Aerialropeways.pdf

Finally, the fastest cable ropeway in operation is the 2.1 mile long Genting Skyway at Gohtong Jaya, Malaysia.  Wikipedia has this to say:  “At the maximum speed of 6 metres per second (21.6 km/h – 12.96 mph), the 3.38-kilometre (2.10 mi) journey up the mountain peak takes approximately 15 minutes, depending on the weather.”

At the moment, supporters are in love because they see this as a novel waterfront experience and are selling that notion without looking at the whole picture beforehand.    I hope that the instead of promoting an attractive notion, some serious research be done that provides the most reliable method of mass people moving based on cost, speed, reliability, and weather related shut down before going any further.

Ropeway systems may be the way to go.  And then again, it may not.

If you are planning on taking Dad to Niagara Falls, Ontario for Father’s Day, why not feed him at Ribfest?

Niagara Falls Ribfest, Ontario’s #1 Rib Festival is a fundraiser by the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls Sunrise.  June 14,15,16  Optimist Park.

Fun for the whole family.  No pets or coolers allowed in the park.  Free Parking.  Bring your own lawn chairs.  It’s a picnic.

Money raised during this event goes back into the community. We contribute to Rotary House, Pathstone Mental Health, School Breakfast Program, GNGH Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Niagara, Habitat for Humanity and Literacy Niagara to name but a few.

For Ribfest details click here: http://www.niagarafallsribfest.com/

For information on Rotary Club of Niagara Falls Sunrise visitwww.niagarafallsrotary.com

Luna (picture WKBW-TV)

Kali (picture WKBW-TV)

Help Keep the Polar Bears in Buffalo.

“We’ve made great progress, but still have a ways to go. If you would like to help, you can donate to “Our Bears Belong in Buffalo” at https://www.buffalozoo.org/_donate_capital_campaign.php or text the word “Zoobear” to 56512. Thank you”  The Buffalo Zoo.

I’m a member.  As a member and a local, I know for sure any donation you can afford will be greatly appreciated.

The dual Peace Bridge Connecting Buffalo USA to Fort Erie Canal will never be built was the theme of my 2004 Masters Degree  in Education project at SUNY College at Buffalo in 2004.  I received my Masters.  I assume my findings were worth the paper they were printed on.  By 2004 the debate over the bridge was about ten years old.  Here we are nine years after my project and nineteen years after the idea was announced and the bridge still not has been resolved.

The problem then, as it is now, there are too many conflicting interests in involved in the decision-making process.  Fort Erie has 74 acres of land available for bridge services,  Buffalo has 18 acres.  Fort Erie has 30,000 residents – Buffalo 260,000.  The bridge in Fort Erie will no expand into a residential neighborhood in Buffalo it will.  Bridge traffic in Fort Erie bypasses its small central business district in Buffalo it passes right through it.  The U.S. under-staffs the bridge crossing the Canadians don’t.  The bridge is vital to Fort Erie economy (jobs) in Buffalo it is not.  The list goes on and now the Governor of New York and  Canada’s Counsel General have gotten involved and demands that people be replaced are invoked.

It is a mess.

It is time for everyone to grow up get serious and do what should have been done 20 years ago.  Settle the issue.  And here is how it must be done and done ASAP.

and keep doing it

until it is resolved.

Peace Out!

I work for Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises during the summer tourist season .  Yesterday’s Memorial Day tourist season kickoff saw a large group of tourists arrive from South America to take the cruise.  Last year I had the opportunity to be with groups that came from Puerto Rico, Colombia and Spain.

This large group of tourists included a number of families with young children.   Sadly I don’t speak Spanish.  A few of them spoke English, including their guide.  What a super friendly and pleasant group of people.   They appeared to be enjoying their visit.  Unfortunately, they all arrived by bus from NYC where their vacation began.  Too bad there is not much of an effort to entice the big tour operators to begin their foreign visitor tours via the Buffalo or Niagara Falls’ airports, heading to NYC from here instead of vice-versa.  If tourist groups could be enticed to spend just one extra day in the area it would be a big plus for the local economy.