La Paz in Bolivia is one of the highest major cities in the world, sitting at 3,640 metres. While the adjacent town of El Alto, which is part of the metropolis of La Paz, sits at 4,150 metres.
The Le Paz CBD is in a canyon that has been carved out, over millions of years, by the Choqueyapu River, while the residential areas cling to the surrounding mountain sides.
This topography presented the government of La Paz with a unique public transport problem.
The only public transport before 2014 was taxis and mini busses which are chaotic and unreliable.
The solution was Mi Teleférico (My Cable Car), an urban, mass transit system that spans the city and the suburbs.
Phase one was opened in 2014 and consisted of the Red, Yellow and Green lines. Phase two opened in 2017 adding a further two lines, Orange and Blue. A further six lines are under construction or planned.
This will make it the longest cable car system in the world, covering nearly 34 kilometres and the only public transport system to use cable cars as the primary mode of transport.
It was relatively easy to construct, as the footprint of the towers is small and less disruptive than building a rail or subway system. It is environmentally friendly as it runs on both solar and hydro electricity – there is also no noise or pollution.
Mi Teleférico is lateral thinking at its best.
What a surprise.
Saturday, March 24th, 2018On my first good walk after returning home, I went north towards Brighton.
Just opposite the Brighton Railway Station is a bricked up tunnel that used to run under Beach Road. There has always been some form of artwork there but I was very surprised to see this new mural.
Painted by John Lawry, it cleverly links the history of the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company with the tunnel.
Built in 1861, the tunnel was created to link the railway line, at Brighton Beach Station, with the pier that was apposite.
The new artwork is painted in the Trompe l’Oeil style (French for ‘deceive the eye’) which dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. By using perspective the mural gives an illusion of depth and dimension.
It suits this space perfectly.
Posted in Art, Comment, Good ideas | No Comments »