Gondolas in D.C.? Transit policy should not be a high-wire circus act

The Washington Post’s Perry Stein recently wrote a fascinating article on a proposed new transit link between Georgetown and Arlington. No, it wasn’t about a proposed busway or rail line. Instead, boosters, led by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, are proposing to connect the wealthy Washington neighborhood and Rosslyn with a gondola line.

Gondolas, or Aerial Ropeway Transit (ART), are not new. But in the same way 19th century–style streetcars have been forced on District residents in recent years, we are now expected to consider yet another inefficient and unreliable transit mode, and one that is best suited for the Alps.