As debate heats up over the future of transit in Toronto, two U of T students have come up with a high-flying suggestion for how to move people along the city’s rapidly developing waterfront: gondolas.
Kyle Miller and Matthew Kelling, master’s students in geography, have proposed an 11-stop cable-car system that would criss-cross the Gardiner Expressway, carrying up to 30,000 people daily from Ontario Place to the new Canary District development in the east. The aerial lift – dubbed Shoreline – would make stops at Fort York, St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District, among other destinations, and connect with Union Station. Future expansion would extend the line through the port lands to Cherry Beach. In May, the students’ design took first place in a youth competition at the Global Cities Summit.
Miller says cable cars have gained renewed interest in urban planning circles, especially in developing countries, because they are environmentally friendly, low-cost and quick to install. Medellin, in Colombia, has a three-line gondola system with multiple stations, and Rio de Janeiro is using them to provide transit to the city’s favelas.
Miller hopes that the idea will kick-start a conversation about public transit along Toronto’s waterfront. “We need to do something for all the people who are moving there,” he says.
Recent Posts
U of T’s 197th Birthday Quiz
Test your knowledge of all things U of T in honour of the university’s 197th anniversary on March 15!
Are Cold Plunges Good for You?
Research suggests they are, in three ways
Work Has Changed. So Have the Qualities of Good Leadership
Rapid shifts in everything from technology to employee expectations are pressuring leaders to constantly adapt