Cable car
'How about...run...a cable cart over the hills to link all other area's to each others, removing some cars of the road and make it more interesting to travel, just an idea'
This is an idea, echoed by some, for a Cable Car between Peacehaven and Lewes as referenced in our 'ThoroughFair' series looking at traffic on the A259. The concept has all the imagination and foresight of Magus Volks's 'Daddy Long Legs', by far one of the most unique transporting marvels, maybe ever!
Reception of this, even in my own sphere, has been a little underwhelmed and seen as a daft idea. I'm sure if Volks has Facebook now, a comment will probably question this as an April Fools Day joke somewhere too!
Urban connection
The cable car here - between Meridian Centre to Lewes, Friars Walk car park would be, on paper, at 5.3 miles the longest Cable Car in the world! The current one being the Hon Thom Cable Car in Vietnam at just shy of 5 miles.
Now, that said - the logistics of a cableway this long are difficult. Assuming a station in between it would actually be two cableways joined together.
Let's look at what we are looking to replicate:
Opened on the 13th December 2025, Line one of the Île-de-France cable car, is a 4.5km (2.8 miles) link between Pointe du Lac and Bois Matar in the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges district and seen as an extension of line 8 of the Paris Metro.
It is the first of Paris's urban Cable Car systems carrying 1,600 per hour and Operating between 05:30 to 00.34 (Monday to Saturday) and 06.30 to 00.21 (Sunday).
Operating between Pointe du Lac and Villa Nova, it serves 3 intermediate stations and connects directly to the Paris Metro. Each area having it's own unique qualities.
Villa Nova serves 7,000 inhabitants.
More information is available here: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligne_1_du_t%C3%A9l%C3%A9ph%C3%A9rique_d%27%C3%8Ele-de-France
For contrast Peacehaven has more than double that population.
So how would it work?
This is very much fag packet analysis.
The idea here is for a cableway between Peacehaven, Meridian Centre (car park) to Lewes, Friars Walk (car park).
The link would be technically two separate cableways linked together at an intermediate point (say Rodmell) in order for the pods to traverse between separate cables.
Hight would be achieved but not intrusively. Lewes to Rodmell is practically a straight line via the 'Party Field'. This would however pass just to the edge of the runway to Iford Airport. The cableway being able to stay low.
Continuing straight from Rodmell the new cableway would travel towards Peacehaven, nudging westwards as it goes. The advantage of cable being the ability to climb steeply to be suitably clear of houses and infrastructure.
The journey would take around 22/25 minutes at 14MPH - this could change depending on different factors. Both sides would need to behave the same. Some additional work could see the line be able to split in two, say just Lewes - Rodmell or Rodmell - Peacehaven with gearing at Rodmell station.
Line in the ground
It is likely that the fact an airport sits within a few hundred meters of a cable crossing it - that it may well be the first obstacle to thwart such an idea.
Maybe not a dedicated bus service - but a replacement option would need to be available if the cable car was to be 'suspended'. The one way, schooldays only 123 is the only option currently but does serve Rodmell. The main reason for this, other than general maintenance (the main cables would need to be change every few years or so) would be wind.
Cost is too. As explored previously, it may compare better to a new road, rail or even light rail link.
Hang tough
Pods would not just sit overnight, they would be 'brought in' like buses. Cable cars can, due to the way the stations work, all be brought in and sent out parodically - enabling maintenance. In London this allows the wire to 'lift' if there needs to be a big cruise ship passing underneath.
Not one for heights, I have used the cable car over the Thames about 5 times now. It is connected by one rope with hanging gondolas. I would hope that a secondary system be used in the event of failure.
Not that a lot of height would be needed for this given how high it would be needed, the IFS cloud climbs to 90 meters, the Paris one only 55 meters - so doesn't have to be thrilling!
Personal safety would need to be paramount given the pods. LED lighting for night operation, video surveillance systems, alarm and speaker for two way communicating with the operator as well as evacuation equipment in case of breakdown and maybe even Wi-Fi equipment would all need to be standard.
Funding
The cost of the cableway in Paris works out at about 125 million euros excluding taxes, that's about about 109 million. That is for 2.5 miles, with 4 station and thirty-three pylons.
The ISF cable Car cost £60 million back in 2012 and covers a distance of 0.6 miles.
We can safely assume that at 5.37 mi (8.65 km) with a little extra room for maneuver, with one middle station would be easily close to £200 - £250 million - funded mainly as part of the Sussex mayoral strategy. However, with the unitary authority, it may need to cross boarders.
Operation could be sponsored like the IFS cable car. A unique way to explore the South Downs valley could hold some real tourism possibilities.
The cost of such a system to the customer would need to be realistic. Unlike the original idea for IFS, there is very likely to be commuting, school pupils (who will rock the gondola's) and tourists. The price would need to be competitive. A direct bus link would cost £6 a day direct, currently it's just £7 or £8.70 outside of school hours. Season tickets would need to be available to be a constant feast.
So. All told, is this really a great idea or is there a dangle in the detail?
Line, hook and hanger
The idea based on the Paris Urban Cable Car is to provide another, more sustainable travel mode between the centres of Lewes and Peacehaven.
A thank you to my contributor, who sent this (and the other further down) from a trip to Paris.
Across the green
The Ouse Valley as seen from Mount Caburn. The cable Car would cross here and go over the South Downs.
There is a airfield in the way which could be avoided?
From a distance...
The IFS cable Car in East London. At 90 meters, these small specs don't intrude much on an urban area - but what about rural? Trains in the north do have overhead power lines..
Most weather gear
The Cable Car can run in sun, wind and maybe snow. Wind (quite common on the South Downs) will be its nemesis.
Pod on a wire
One advantage of a cableway is the gradient is can climb.
Internal workings
A pod in the station. The space needed for a station isn't that much. The pods come of the cable and round a loop or pass through at slow speed on runner wheels that push it along.
All fun at the fair
The best internal shot I had. A pod or gondola can take up to 10 people and be accessible to wheelchair users and thouse with less mobility. As you can see (they are smiling I promise) the experience is a great one.
Line, dot...
The comparison of a straight route to that of the A259, A26 & A27, which is known for accidents and flooding on this main link (preferred over the C7) between Peacehaven and Lewes which this suggestion seeks to promote.
Create Your Own Website With Webador