[vacri]

Cablecars are essentially a conveyor-belt form of transport. They require a lot of infrastructure and if there's a breakage, the whole system is down rather than just one piece. They also make noise everywhere, even when there's no traffic in sight.

Then, of course, if your conveyor belt is pedestrian-based, you have exposure to the elements (also meaning limited long-distance travel due to slow speed) and switching between conveyors would be troublesome (particularly if you're inform or have baggage). If you instead ride in some sort of pod, you can up the speed and protect yourself from the elements, but you still need to get it on and off the conveyor belt smoothly; it's be something approaching the complexity of a car anyway. How also would you prioritise/speed up emergency vehicle traffic, which often has to go as quickly as possible?

It's certainly an interesting thought experiment, coming up with the pros and cons.

[salgernon]

Cable cars also have the benefit of (effectively) regenerative braking. when your loaded car is going down hill, you're adding energy to the system to help pull another car up. ski lifts too, for that matter.