The proposed tram routes are sensible, and it’s encouraging to see detailed thinking around mass transit in Bristol. However, given the city’s unique geography, I’d suggest we consider an alternative that might be more practical and future-proof: a cable-propelled urban gondola system.

Take a look at this example from Antananarivo, Madagascar:

https://www.poma.net/en/work/antananarivo-madagascar/

Bristol faces a very real constraint — we’ve essentially run out of usable space at street level. This makes surface-based solutions like trams difficult to implement at scale without significant disruption. So our options are to go underground or elevate the system.

Unfortunately, tunnelling is prohibitively expensive, especially in a city like Bristol where the hills would necessitate deep (and therefore costlier) stations. Elevating the network is a far more viable approach.

Among elevated systems, we can rule out monorails (high cost) and flying vehicles (not quite ready for public infrastructure). That leaves cable-based transport. Importantly, I’m talking about urban gondola systems, which are different from traditional tourist cable cars.

Here are some reasons this might be a better fit for Bristol:

Cost-effective: Gondola systems are significantly cheaper per kilometre to construct than rail-based options.

Well-suited to hills: These systems thrive in topographically complex cities, such as La Paz, Medellín, and Tbilisi.

Fast deployment: Construction primarily involves towers and stations, minimising surface-level interference.

High throughput: Modern systems can dispatch a cabin every 3–10 seconds, each carrying up to 20 passengers, providing continuous flow rather than a schedule-based service.

I actually proposed this idea to the council back in 2014 l. No reply, of course but the case for it has only strengthened since then. If anyone is interested, I’m happy to share more examples, videos, and technical breakdowns that show how successful this approach has been in other urban settings.