Comment by IshKebab
1 day ago
Trams can be removed too. Bristol used to have trams. I doubt it is alone.
I definitely feel like trams are a weird technical solution to a policy/perception problem. On a technical level I don't think there's that much to recommend them over buses with bus lanes. It's just that governments never put bus lanes the whole way like you are forced to do with a tram.
Trams are much smoother than buses. I suspect that a bus can be made as comfortable as a tram with active suspension optimising ride quality, but I've never come across one. Jerky starts and stops, swinging around, kneeling for (dis)embarkation; these all make the ride unpleasant for users. Trams exclude those at the cost of additional up front infrastructure costs.
I can easily read a book on a tram. No chance on a bus (unless we want vomit all over the seats).
I agree, but I don't think that really matters. I mean nobody is going to spend millions on a tram just because it's a bit smoother.
It's a nice bonus; not a reason to build trams.