With the Olympics, Disney theme park expansions and the OCVIBE entertainment district on the horizon in Anaheim, the city is looking at new transit technologies to move people around.<\/p>\n
One proposal would take a page from Disneyland\u2019s retired Skyway attraction in building an aerial gondola system connecting the sports and concert venues in the Platinum Triangle \u2014 home to Angel Stadium, Honda Center and the Grove \u2014 to the Disneyland Resort.<\/p>\n
In May, Visit Anaheim Chief Executive Mike Waterman hinted at discussions<\/a> between city officials and transportation companies.<\/p>\n His comments to a Spectrum News reporter came a month after Honda Center received word that it would host indoor volleyball during the Olympics in 2028.<\/p>\n Mike Lyster, an Anaheim spokesman, said multiple transit options are being explored, not just an aerial gondola system, adding that getting systems done in time for the Games is unrealistic.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no frontrunners,\u201d he said. \u201cAny suggestion that we might have something in place by 2028 would be misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n The city is also looking at driverless vehicles from Waymo, Tesla and Glydways to improve transit between the Platinum Triangle and the Anaheim Resort. Trackless trams are also being looked at that could more conceivably be online before the Olympics. <\/p>\n Duane Roberts of the Anaheim Investigator published a Sept. 2 story<\/a> regarding the proposed aerial gondolas based on public records, including a July presentation by Swyft Cities, a Bay Area transportation firm, where it outlined a project timeline that would have the system ready by January 2028.<\/p>\n Anaheim paid Swyft Cities a $20,000 consulting fee to assess the feasibility of connecting the two marquee areas of the city \u2014 a longtime goal that once included a scuttled streetcar proposal. <\/p>\n \u201cEmails hint city planners want something ready before the 2028 Summer Olympics,\u201d Roberts told TimesOC. \u201cThe presentation this firm submitted back in July caters to that desire.\u201d <\/p>\n Lyster cautioned that Anaheim is just taking a cursory look at transit options, adding that the city would have to hire a consultant and make a request for information before contracts went before the City Council.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fair to say any of this would take some level of environmental analysis \u2014 and that takes a long time,\u201d Lyster added. \u201cA significant concern with an aerial gondola system is that it would be traversing the 57 Freeway and the 5 Freeway, two of the busiest freeways in Southern California.\u201d<\/p>\n Mountain View-based Swyft Cities, which was spun off from Google in 2019, does not operate any full-scale aerial gondola systems but is negotiating with Irvine to develop one at the Great Park. The company referred questions about its Anaheim proposal back to the city.<\/p>\n The company estimates the cost to build a 3.8-mile aerial gondola system in Anaheim at $125 million. The pods would seat an estimated 8,000 to 24,000 passengers per day and trips between the resort and Golden Triangle areas would take about five minutes.<\/p>\n A conceptual design travels along Katella Avenue and features several destination drop-offs, including Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, the GardenWalk and Honda Center. A future station is envisioned within walking distance of Angel Stadium. <\/p>\n Honda Center is currently the hub of OCVIBE<\/a>, a $4-billion development project<\/a> that seeks to transform the land around the arena into an entertainment, dining and housing destination. The 100-acre project, which is being developed by the investment group that owns the Anaheim Ducks and the Pond, is expected to open next year while other project phases remain under construction.<\/p>\n OCVIBE is listed in the Swyft Cities presentation as a \u201ckey stakeholder.\u201d It could also potentially serve as a site for maintenance, storage and charging for the aerial gondola system.<\/p>\n Disney, another \u201ckey stakeholder,\u201d did not respond to request for comment.<\/p>\n Dara Maleki, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce\u2019s interim president and chief executive, welcomed the city\u2019s exploration of all options.<\/p>\n