Trampe the Bicycle Lift

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TRONDHEIM, Norway - Here is an innovative way to cope with hills that could be very useful in a city like Portland. It's probably a tad bit cheaper than a tram.

Excerpt from www.trampe.no

Hilly cities normally have a low share of cycling. How come that Trondheim, the third largest city of Norway, has the highest share of cycling compared to all the other Norwegian cities? We believe there are there reasons: 1. Trondheim is a university city with 30 000 students, 90% of whom using their bicycles as their main transport tool
2. During the last 20 years, there has been invested more than 20 mill NOK in a bicycle roads network and bicycle transport infrastructure in Trondheim
3. One of the most important infrastructure elements is the bicycle lift Trampe. Since the opening in 1993, it's pushed more than 220 000 cyclist up the very steep hill BBrubakken in the historical heritage part of the city center

There is no doubt that Trampe has inspired students as well as other people living in Trondheim to take to their bicycles. In a user survey, 41% of the lift users claim they're using the bicycle more often due to the installation of Trampe.

Here is another view of the lift from KyleLC at YouTube.