Croydon Tram

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I don't think so looking at the pics of that curve. It's a very tight bend for 40mph+ - standing passengers would have to hang on very securely even if the tram didn't come off the track.

[Andy Burns]

Well there was that tweet from a week before it happened where someone though it was /going/ to topple ...

[The Natural Philosopher]

"I am bored. I have this cushy job where I sit in a tram and move levers and push buttons. It's mind numbingly boring. I hate it, but the union is great so the pay is well good. I wonder how fast this tram will go round that bend. I've had it up to 40mph already! I mean, what else is there to do?"

[Roland Perry]

In message , at

18:44:36 on Thu, 17 Nov 2016, NY remarked:

That's simply not true. Trivial example (and not just because the Google Streetcar is, erm, a car):

[James Wilkinson Sword]

That looks like a bit of a mess.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Have they been designed to stop as fast as cars rather than trains? Otherwise they're going to end up rear ending cars a hell of a lot.

So er.... why have trams and not buses, which can go anywhere?

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 20:23:52 on Thu, 17 Nov 2016, James Wilkinson Sword remarked:

Not really - it's just a typical bit of shared road-running. Sometimes there are fewer parking bays and less white paint, but the shared lanes are essentially the same.

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 20:25:14 on Thu, 17 Nov 2016, James Wilkinson Sword remarked:

Not if driven cautiously enough.

Their permanence and aura encourage people to use them who wouldn't use a bus. They also can and do have sections of off-road running.

[charles]

to avoid using the ic engine in towns

[James Wilkinson Sword]

Then have hybrid buses like they do in London.

[tony sayer]

Well the RAIB final report will reveal all later on next year! However there might have been some wheel slide but from all accounts so far it does look as if the driver didn't brake when he ought to have done for whatever reason...

[Bob Eager]

May be true, but Tramlink has buses sharing lanes with trams.

There's also the situation where cars have to turn *across* the tram line to access a side turning. Tramlink has that too. And no signals.

[Tim Streater]

So use trolley buses, which have the advantage that if one busts down, it can be unhooked from the overhead wires and other vehicles (and trolley buses) can get past it.

[NY]

Ah, does it? I've never actually driven around Croydon (or any of the other cities which have trams), so I've not encountered it. And when I've been on a tram, I've not paid close attention to what car drivers alongside can see. Most incurious of me! If I'm ever in Manchester or Sheffield (the two closest tram cities to me) I'll have to look at signage and layout.

Turning left into a side road where you have to cross a tram track is an interesting one, because you need to discipline yourself to check your left door mirror rather than just turning, in the same way that you have to when there's a cycle lane to your left and the road markings force you into a position other than immediately next to the kerb when turning left.

Who has priority over whom? If a car is stationary, indicating left, queuing until it gets to a junction, and a tram subsequently comes up on the left of the car, does the tram have to give way to the car which is (was) in front of it, indicating to turn left, although in another lane, as cyclists should do (but invariably don't do)? Or is there no defined priority and both tram and car play "after you / no, after *you*" all day long - or else both barge and then back off amid a flurry of horns :-)

How often do you get a road blocked because a car is waiting to turn left but can't do so until a tram has gone past, and cars are queuing behind the left-turning one?

I presume in the places where tram and car share the same bit of road (rather than being alongside each other) there are VERY strict "no stopping, even for a few seconds" parking restrictions, since a tram can't just pull out and overtake a parked car :-)

[Bob Eager]

Yes...I am especially careful due to the limited vision to my left. I do have a blind spot warning system but that is just a backup.

Not clear here. I couldn't immediately see any signs.

Dunno - only used Tramlink twice when we had a tricky early morning journey to Croydon.

I'd solve the 'parked car in the way' problem by fitting a cowcatcher to the tram.

[James Wilkinson Sword]

You shouldn't have to, for either. Nobody should be undertaking you.

[phucker fucker]

Nope, not possible. They are much heavier and have steel on steel wheels.

Nope, they don't, because the tram driver can see well ahead.

Because trams carry a lot more passengers.

[bert]

In article , charles writes

And to shift more people from a to b more efficiently.

[Roger Hayter]

Anyone else remember trolley buses?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Trolley buses need a lot more space than trams. And can't use the same size road as a dedicated tram track. You simply couldn't have two passing at 50 mph on the same width. And a decent road surface costs more than track.