{"id":37014,"date":"2025-07-31T14:07:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37014\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T14:07:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:07:41","slug":"this-norwegian-cyclist-lift-makes-riding-uphill-easy-north-america-take-note","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37014\/","title":{"rendered":"This Norwegian Cyclist Lift Makes Riding Uphill Easy\u2014North America, Take Note"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Trondheim, Norway, there\u2019s a clever piece of cycling infrastructure that solves one of the biggest challenges in everyday riding: steep hills. The Trampe CycloCable is a pedal-powered lift embedded in the pavement that pushes cyclists uphill at around four miles per hour. You just place one foot on a retractable footplate and let the mechanism carry you to the top. No pedaling required.<\/p>\n

Installed on a steep street called Brubakken near the city center, the original lift was built in 1993 by a local engineer as a prototype. It was intended to get more residents biking in a city known for its cold climate and challenging terrain. After proving popular with locals, it was upgraded in 2013 and rebranded as the CycloCable. Today, it stretches 130 meters (about 430 feet) up the hill and is used thousands of times each month during the warmer seasons.<\/p>\n

The system works via an underground cable powered by an electric motor. Riders straddle their bikes, place one foot on the footplate, and are gently pushed uphill while they balance on the bike. There\u2019s a bit of technique involved\u2014keeping your supporting leg straight and staying relaxed helps\u2014but once you get the hang of it, it\u2019s remarkably easy. The lift is also open to people on scooters and even kids on smaller bikes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a major piece of infrastructure. It doesn\u2019t cost millions, and it doesn\u2019t require traffic to be rerouted. But it removes a significant physical barrier in a city that wants to prioritize cycling, and it does so in a way that\u2019s practical, not flashy.<\/p>\n

Which makes you wonder: why hasn\u2019t anyone else done it?<\/p>\n

\"cyclocable<\/p>\n

Trondheim Bicycle Lift<\/p>\n

Here are a few North American hills that would actually benefit from a lift like Trondheim\u2019s\u2014places where steep grades cut through well-used bike routes and where a little assist could go a long way.<\/p>\n

Portland, OR \u2013 Brynwood Hillclimb \/ Council Crest<\/p>\n

Portland is often celebrated for its bike infrastructure, but it still has hills that test even the most experienced riders. The West Hills are particularly brutal, with gradients up to 24% on the Brynwood Hillclimb\u2014reportedly the steepest in the state. It might actually get more people exploring west of downtown by bike.<\/p>\n

San Francisco, CA \u2013 17th Street or Clipper Street<\/p>\n

San Francisco cyclists are no strangers to punishment by elevation. The 17th Street corridor through the Mission District and Clipper Street through Noe Valley are both popular but punishing routes linking neighbourhoods to Twin Peaks and the Castro. A bike lift here would be a rare piece of infrastructure that doesn\u2019t require a full redesign\u2014just a small, targeted solution to a very specific problem.<\/p>\n

Montreal, QC \u2013 Avenue du Mont-Royal<\/p>\n

Mont-Royal is one of the most iconic cycling routes in Montreal, connecting the Plateau neighbourhood to the city\u2019s namesake mountain and park. It also features a steady, energy-sapping climb that turns into a slog at rush hour. Yes, the spandex set love the climbs, but everyday cyclists might want a little help on their way to a scenic picnic. A cyclist lift here could make the route more appealing for commuters and recreational riders alike\u2014especially when the weather\u2019s bad and energy levels are low.<\/p>\n

\"Montreal's<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s Mont Royal<\/p>\n

Seattle, WA \u2013 Queen Anne Avenue<\/p>\n

The climb up Queen Anne Hill is short but relentless, and it\u2019s a key connection between dense residential areas and downtown. It\u2019s already a well-known leg-burner among Seattle riders, and for many people, it\u2019s a reason not to ride at all. A modest lift along Queen Anne Avenue could remove one of the most persistent obstacles in Seattle\u2019s otherwise growing bike network.<\/p>\n

Vancouver, BC \u2013 Yukon Street to 37th Avenue<\/p>\n

Yukon Street is an important north\u2013south bike route in Vancouver\u2019s network, linking downtown with residential and commercial zones to the south. But it rises steeply through the middle, especially between 16th and 37th Avenue, where many cyclists end up walking their bikes. It\u2019s a natural candidate for a Trampe-style lift\u2014direct, well-used, and just steep enough to be a regular deterrent.<\/p>\n

Would any of these cities actually build one? Maybe not. But the Trampe shows that when you design for real-world barriers, even something as small as a footplate in the pavement can shift how people think about moving through a city.<\/p>\n

And for a growing number of urban cyclists, that might be all it takes to stop dreading the hill\u2014and start riding over it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Trondheim, Norway, there\u2019s a clever piece of cycling infrastructure that solves one of the biggest challenges in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-37014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}