Can the Paris Gondola Succeed Where London's Failed?

In 2021, Greater Paris may be leading Europe’s most unlikely transit revolution: It will put its first-ever urban gondola in service. Starting at a suburban metro terminus, the aerial cable-car link will join up with four other neighborhoods just to the southwest of Paris Proper’s official city limits. Called the Téléval gondola, it will cover a 4.4 kilometer (2.7 mile) route, passing through five stations and transporting up to 14,000 people a day.

It certainly won’t be the first ever urban project of its kind. Cities around the world have already scored major transit successes with the mode, particularly steep-sited Latin American cities such as Medellin. In the U.S., as my colleague Laura Bliss recently reported, Austin, Texas, is now pondering an elevated cable line.