Arlingtonians who have long dreamed of soaring between locations by way of an aerial gondola system appear to have a new champion.
A firefighter and lifelong Arlington resident, Danny Wang, has entered the fight for gondola-style transit with a 40-page report sketching out a highly ambitious proposal.
Unlike previous advocacy efforts, which focused on the possibility of a system of cars lifting travelers on a scenic journey between Rosslyn and Georgetown, Wang envisions aerial cable cars as a new transit option along Langston Blvd.
It’s a goal that county staff haven’t formally studied, but that they say may not be a good fit for Langston Blvd for both practical and financial reasons. Nevertheless, Wang believes it is worthy of consideration.
“I believe that a Langston Boulevard aerial cable car system can not only provide an affordable, quick, clean and practical solution to commuting up and down the very hilly boulevard but also serve as secondary connection points from the East Falls Church and Rosslyn Metro [stations],” he wrote. “Additionally, if the county decides to invest in this idea, then maybe we can pragmatically implement the long-lost dream of expanding that cable car over the Potomac River into Georgetown.”
Although Wang lacks a background in urban design, he points out the success that similar systems have had in localities such as La Paz, Bolivia and Medellín, Colombia — two mountainous localities where other forms of transit are difficult to implement.
“Not only have [cable cars] proven to be low cost, energy efficient solutions for these poorer countries in Latin America, but they have later become magnets for tourism, providing beautiful, overhead views of these vast cities,” Wang wrote.
He told ARLnow that he sees Langston Blvd as a reasonable candidate for a similar transportation system given the emphasis on increased density in Plan Langston Blvd. He believes the commercial corridor will need more investment in public transit in order to handle higher traffic volume — and that a gondola-like system could prove less expensive and less disruptive than other major investments.
“I think cable cars can be a good solution for a lot of corridors,” Wang said. “You don’t have to deal with traffic — like, you’re up in the air, and so even though it goes, like, a maximum of 20 mph, just bypassing all the traffic and the stoplights is going to make it go a lot faster.”
He added that it could both promote more development along Langston Blvd, and ultimately make a gondola system between Georgetown and Rosslyn more practical, since passengers could connect to a larger network of aerial lifts.
Will the idea ever get off the ground? Wang posted his report earlier this month and is only beginning his advocacy efforts. But he may face an uphill battle.
“We appreciate the creativity and enthusiasm of our residents,” Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow. “Aerial gondolas can be a useful, though very niche, transportation tool typically suited for places with limited surface options or significant geographic barriers like steep hills or valleys.”
However, she suggested that there are reasons why Arlington County staff have neither studied nor proposed aerial gondolas along Langston Blvd or any other commercial corridors.
“Langston Boulevard, and our other commercial corridors, already have a functioning street network with residents and businesses who rely on these surface corridors that cannot be replaced by any off-street transportation mode,” O’Brien said. “One of the central questions with any transportation investment is whether the full cost of building entirely new infrastructure — monetary and otherwise, including long-term maintenance and upkeep — is justified by the benefit.”
She noted other car-free options for traveling along Langston Blvd, including buses, bikes and pedestrian walkways.
Ginger Brown, executive director of the Langston Boulevard Alliance, declined to weigh in on Wang’s proposal beyond pointing out that the Langston Boulevard Area Plan does not call for any new type of transit.
Still, Wang maintains that an aerial gondola system — whether along Langston Blvd or elsewhere in Arlington — isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem, meriting more public discussion if not immediate investment.
“I did my best, with my intention to inspire a deeper conversation about this topic and, hopefully, garner grassroot support,” he wrote. “I’d love for this discussion to continue for other parts of Arlington like Columbia Pike, Shirlington and the DMV as a whole. And I hope that one day, I’ll get to soar over traffic on that Langston Boulevard cable car.”
