Gondola? Who asked for a gondola?

[mem_winterhill]

Via the SomPedTransit mailing list, I was alerted to the floating [ahem] of a proposal to replace the pedestrian/cyclist bridge across the Mystic with a gondola. No, seriously, stop laughing. It was in the Globe.

Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/07/business/everett-officials-envision-aerial-gondolas-city-hall-casino-assembly-station/

Reply: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/07/metro/walkers-cyclists-worry-that-an-everett-gondola-would-cost-them-crucial-connection/

Non-Globe piece that doesn't require subscription: https://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/environmental-advocates-push-back-against-encore-gondola-proposal

This is, of course, insane. Low volume, subject to breaking, in a windy area... I rarely state my own opinion on these things here, trying to be a bit neutral. But this is a hard NO from me if it replaces the bridge.

That said, we joked about how this might actually work up Winter Hill if we can't get a north-south bus route. But no, this is just kidding.

Examples:

 

I was about to have kittens about the gondola, and then I was remembering a trip to Pittsburgh where they have this fun tram up a nearby hill that takes you to this kind of sweet view and there's an ice cream place up there...it doesn't suck.

https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/directory/duquesne-incline/

 

I definitely don't want a gondola system to come at the cost of a bike/ped bridge. That said I had seen a City Beautiful YouTube video about gondola systems recently and I've been day dreaming about a line running from the casino through Assembly to Ten Hills, the tops of Winter and Spring Hills and onward to Harvard via Conway Park.

Maybe I just hate climbing hills.

I prefer the TransitTrebuchet.

Plus a footbridge, of course.

Pushback from Mystic River Watershed folks: https://mysticriver.org/news/2020/2/10/mystic-river-watershed-association-calls-on-state-and-encore-to-partner-on-mystic-river-pedestrian-and-bicycle-bridge

Anyway: I draw your attention to the Draw Seven park upcoming meeting where influencing the decision on the bridge might be worthwhile. 
https://whna.dreamwidth.org/53669.html

Edit to add: the last meeting I recall on the Pedestrian bridge is here: https://whna.dreamwidth.org/16420.html You can download the slides that make the state's own case for the bridge form. 

Somerville's Community Choice Electricity (CCE), explained

[mem_winterhill]

I just got this email from GECA. I bought my car through their electric vehicles program. But I liked this and wanted to post it because I thought their explanation of the Class 1 green energy was helpful. People who I spoke with had concerns about that, but I didn't explain it as well as they do here. It supports the production of local green energy by funding projects around this area. 

Somerville's program details: https://cce.somervillema.gov/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Hi Mary, Have you been solicited by "green" electricity suppliers like CleanChoice Energy? Maybe you want to support renewable energy, but are skeptical if your money will actually go toward shifting our electricity away from fossil fuels. You're right to be skeptical!  Don't take the bait. Your community already has a great community electricity aggregation program, ensuring that everyone in town is helping to add more renewable energy to our electric grid with each and every bill (affordably). But the competing offers from other suppliers are not so green. Here's a quick summary of why your community's program is better. When you buy green electricity, you want this to happen. But guess what? It doesn't always. You can buy renewable energy to line someone's pockets, or you can buy renewable energy to help build more of it. How do you tell the difference? In MA & RI, laws require that utilities and suppliers buy an increasing amount of local "Class 1" or "new" renewable energy on our behalf. This creates an incentive to build renewable generators in New England, and by voluntarily choosing to add more Class 1, your whole community is driving up demand. Most "green" electricity suppliers only offer what's required by law, and the rest comes from projects that don't need your money. If it's not Class 1,  you're doing nothing to help shut down fossil fuel plants in our region, or anywhere else. Lucky for you, your community's aggregation is focused on Class 1. If your interest is piqued, go more in depth on our blog: https://blog.greenenergyconsumers.org/blog/there-are-three-ways-to-buy-green-electricity-two-are-good-and-one-is-bad