New York could get high speed gondolas in the future via East River Skyway

A plan has been proposed to do away with the congestion that the existing transportation system in New York City is causing. The plan consists of a cable car system that would be along the lines of the Emirates Air Line in London. The East River Skyway plan revealed high speed urban gondolas, providing fast transport to residents and visitors in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

[Image Source: East River Skyway]

The gondolas would cut down on the amount of time it takes to travel, along with offering stunning views out over the New York skyline.

Developer CityRealty said that gondolas would be able to take 5,000 people each hour and cut down the time it takes for people travelling from Manhattan to Brooklyn by around 30 minutes. Travelling from Brooklyn to Queens would take around 12 minutes and those wanting to travel from Manhattan to Williamsburg would take only 4 minutes.

[Image Source: East River Skyway]

"Given the exciting growth in Brooklyn and Queens, it is essential to adapt New York City’s transportation system to serve residents in these booming areas," says Daniel Levy, president of East River Skyway and CityRealty. "Cities around the globe are recognizing the viability and efficiency of urban gondolas to overcome serious transportation challenges. An aerial transportation system would be a relatively inexpensive and quickly-deployable solution here in New York."

[Image Source: East River Skyway]

At the moment the East River Skyway is nothing more than just a proposal with the developers pitching that the system would be cost-effective and less destructive to the environment than creating tunnels. At the same time it was said that the gondolas would not send out harmful emissions.

[Image Source: East River Skyway]

If the project gets approval and it goes ahead, the first phase would start and would involve connecting the area at the waterfront in Williamsburg to Manhattan, South Williamsburg and Brooklyn Navy Yard. It is thought that other phases could include extension of the system to Greenpoint Landing, Long Island City, Midtown East and spread to the south to South Street Seaport and Dumbo.

[Image Source: East River Skyway]