“We conducted a feasibility study for cable cars in Kampala and we discovered that it is viable and so we are looking for money to run a pilot project. We are actually very composed and we think it is something that can happen in Kampala” KCCA spokes person Peter Kauju told Capital reporter.
Kampala Capital City authority is looking for 200 million US Dollars to embark on the project to introduce cable cars in a bid to decongest the city of traffic.
“We conducted a feasibility study for cable cars in Kampala and we discovered that it is viable and so we are looking for money to run a pilot project.
We are actually very composed and we think it is something that can happen in Kampala” KCCA spokes person Peter Kauju told Capital reporter. uju says under the pilot project, cable cars will run from Bwaise in Kawempe division to the new taxi park in the city center.
It’s against this backdrop that Kampala Capital City Authority is organizing an investors’ roundtable conference for September to devise ways to fund the project.
“We are making preparations for an investors’ conference to see how we can come up with the financing method or possibility for this project to happen” Kauju said.
Kauju says they have contacted several companies that can provide the service of installing cable cars in the city.
Cable cars are popular tourist means of transport in the French city of Grenoble. These round gondola lifts with clear glass sides gives one a bird’s eye view of the city. They could be new tourist attractions in Kampala as tourists would have a clear view of the city on the seven hills from the sky.
French POMA company ; who are experts in ropeway transport are have been in talks with the authorities in Kampala over a possibility of introducing cable cars in the city as the best solution to transportation without creating congestion.
Medhi Caillis the commercial officer for Africa zone says using high technology, 5000 people can be transported per hour using cable transport system that is very fast in terms of speed. Depending on the size of the cabin and speed, the car can take between6-12 people every 10-15 seconds. The system once put in place it would not have any conflict with other traffic users since it is installed in space.
According to Caillis, cable system can be installed within 12-18 months making it cheaper. The company cable cars are responsible for transporting 6.5 million passengers per hour in different cities where the company enjoys a worldwide presence.
With a worldwide presence in more than 80 countries in western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and NewZealand, POMA produces 50 lifts every year accounting for a total of 8000 lifts in five continents.
Some of the advantages of using cable cars are that they give a high level of passenger safety, they do not emit fumes, use clean electricity contributing little to air pollution, operate in a quiet manner saving the public from noise pollution and can serve challenging terrain. They require less time and money to implement.
To have cable cars running little land is required and there is no need to excavate the ground. However, much as cable cars provide high quality transport experience, they don’t serve many passengers as a bus or a taxi would or better yet a train. A cable car service could be disrupted due to bad weather especially extreme winds since they are pulled by cables that are elevated from one tower to another.
Reporter: Gloria Nakiyimba