Bicycle Lift in Trondheim, Norway

California Bob reports on a similar endeavor in San Francisco:

Bicycle Lift Shuts Down

20 months after its installation, the Post Street hill bicycle lift in San Francisco is being dismantled.

Modeled after a $20,000 bicycle lift in Trondheim Norway, the lift was originally budgeted at $100,000 and scheduled to open in 1999. The construction was blocked for years by various special interest groups. The automobile lobby spent an estimated $5 billion dollars lobbying against the project, and several city supervisors receiving contributions vociferously opposed the lift, citing noise from the chains, the possibility of skateboarders using the lift for unintended purposes, and safety issues of people tripping over the rails. Wildlife advocates argued that squirrels and rats might get their tails stuck in the machinery, and the lesbian coalition raised a similar argument about cats. Advocates for the homeless opposed the lift for not accommodating shopping carts. Several bicycle groups even argued against the project, arguing that the lift would encourage bicycle use by less dedicated riders who "didn't deserve" to ride bicycles.

The project even drew the ire of the group Support and Advocacy for Depressed, Sad and Angry Citizens, who argued that the word "lift" was discriminatory. According to SADSAC chairman Bill Blight: "The word 'lift' implies that being lifted, elevated or raised to new levels, either physically or emotionally, is somehow desirable. Adoption of such ugly attitudes is sure to engender persecution against persons in low spirits."

After 7 years of hearings, the project eventually won adoption. Interest groups successfully pushed through engineering changes, including: modifying the lift to accommodate shopping carts, wheelchairs, skateboards, motorcycles, small boats, furniture dollies, cars, and tractor trailers; 24 hour security surveillance; GPS systems to track a riders progress as they progressed up the lift; 4 handicap-access restrooms along the lift's route; an architect-designed facade and tower to meet neighborhood aesthetic standards; and enclosing the project in 6-foot thick concrete walls to secure it against terrorist attacks. Engineering changes pushed the project's costs form $100,000 to $5.4 billion.

The lift opened in early 2008, with a per-use rider fee of $625. During its operation the lift served a total of 43 users, 40 of whom belonged to a single wedding party of a Hong Kong billionaire, who used the lift for a one-time photo op. The lift was shut down after a homeless man fell off a stack of garbage cans while trying to gain illicit access to the lift. He is suing the city for $7 million to cover a bruised shin and a torn loincloth.

The city has contracted with a central valley salvage firm to dismantle the project at a cost of $1.4 million. A spokesman for the salvage company said: "We already have a number of parties asking for items from the project -- mostly superwealthy clients looking for 'design items' for yachts and penthouses. Plus we'll get a few hundred for the scrap metal."