Transit Energy Used Per Passenger Mile

Any alternative transit system, whether intended as a supplement or replacement for current car-based transit modes must exceed the energy efficiciencies of current modes.  As a by-product, this reduction would also tend to reduce emissions and other pollutants.  With 1/3 of all imported oil being used for transportation, any significant energy savings in this sector will have more bang for the buck than other small-bite conservation efforts - such as increasing vehicle mpg.  The table below shows how an aerial tramway system can be up to a factor of five to ten times more efficient than almost any other mode. It's even more efficient than a vanpool - even if the gondolas were at only 1/2 full. 

Some Disadvantages of Cars

These Factors Preclude Cars As a Long Term Solution:

• 30% of Energy Used Is for Transport.

• Wind Resistance Goes Up As the CUBE of Velocity - So FASTER Costs LOTS More Fuel.

• Each Vehicle Carries TONS of Systems Causing Parasitic Drag (Steering & Braking Systems, Steel Frame, Bumpers, Safety Cage, & Airbags).

• Each Vehicle Could Potentially Kill Or Harm Its Occupants and Others.

• Each Vehicle Requires a Paved / Well-Maintained Road and a Fueling Infrastructure.

Some Advantages of Tramways:

These Factors Suggest Aerial Tramways As a Long Term Solution:

• A 5 to 10 Times Advantage in Per Person Energy Usage Is a Key Factor.

• 20 MPH Speed Means 9X Lower Wind Resistance.

• No Gondola Carries any Parasitic Systems.

• Vehicles Are Safe and Comfortable.

• No Roads Needed.

• Fueling Infrastructure Is Any Electrical Power Source.

• Lower Carbon Footprint Per Passenger Mile.

Environmental Concerns

System Capacity & Carbon Offsets

The Dopplemayr Company rates their systems at 6000 passengers per hour. A study conducted by the group “Reconnecting America” for the town of Hercules, CA cites existing reversible ropeway large gondola systems with cars carrying from 20 to 200 people traveling at 28 mph. These systems are capable of carrying from 500 to 2000 people per hour. The same study cites smaller “detachable” gondolas with 4-12 people capacities with potential ridership of 3600 people per hour travelling at 14 mph.

$1374.00 is the current market value of the carbon offsets achieved by pulling off the roads five Ford cars (Tempos and Taurus models driven 60,000 miles or 12,000 miles per year for a 5 year service life). The amount of CO2 not emitted in this scenario is 55,879 lbs.

If the system could remove 5000 cars for five years, this would be a carbon value of $1,374,000 and an emissions reduction of 55,879,000 lbs.

• • Carbon Offset Calculator

  • Cost Exercise

  • Full Proposal in PDF Format

  • PowerPoint Presentation

  • System Land Needs (146.5 KB)

  • Talking Points

15th Annual Tahoe Summit Points Need for Change

The 15th Annual Tahoe Summit was held at Homewood, CA on August 16, 2001.  The good news was good, but the bad news was worse.

• • Good News - TDMA Adopted - The highlight of the summit was the signing and adoption of a document defining the TDMA or Total Daily Maximum Allowance for sediment entering the lake. A program in one area of South Shore could eliminate up to 78 tons of sediment a year. One speaker from the EPA pointed out that 75% of the lake's decline in clarity was due to fine sediments entering the lake and only 25% was due to small flora. 

  • Bad News - Record Lake Clarity Losses - The 1.5 billion dollars spent on mitigations may have slowed the decline in clarity, but the high runoff from last winter raised the lake by almost 3 feet - while the clarity declined almost 4 feet! The conclusion seems clear, that while more mitigation is needed - it will never be the full solution - which is to eliminate the cause of the silt - cars and road use. The projected turnaround date to restore the lake to previous clarity levels using the TDMA as the yardstick is 2060 - that is IF funding is available. The current political climate and dim conservation project funding prospects were added factors that will compound the lake's preservation. Another turning point may be the potential dissolution of the TRPA unless certain requirements are met to create a new development friendly plan acceptable to Nevada by 2012. 

What most people don't realize is the true value of Lake Tahoe as a pristine alpine lake. The value of the lake's fresh water in terms of selling it bottled is unimaginable. The value of the lake in terms of attracting and affecting visitors from all over the world is, however, calculable - and is billions of dollars every year. If we let Emerald Bay become emerald green, the value in either sense will have been lost forever.