Return of the Trams !

Trams served Sydney from 1879 until 1961 and ours was the second biggest tram fleet in the world, being only exceeded by the city of London.  By the end of this year they will return to our streets and these new monsters are the longest trams in the world at 67 metres, capable of carrying nearly five hundred passengers each at full capacity.

At present they are engaging in testing and speeds are limited to twenty kph but that sixty year gap between services is revealing a dangerous lack of tram culture.  In the years when we lacked trams we became accustomed to crossing gridlocked streets by walking through the stalled car stream. The innovation of both the mobile phone and the entertainment it provides makes us less aware of the world around us.

The motoring public are going to have to adjust to that old perennial - the tram stop.  At designated places each tram stops to enable new travellers to come aboard and those reaching their destination to alight.  That means anything from a lone pedestrian to a large group occupying the roadway and they will have right way over motor traffic.  That is a new form of road etiquette that we will need to learn.

In this testing stage it has become quite evident that car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are finding the presence of trams a new experience.  There have been many near collisions because trams run very quietly.  Tram drivers are able to sound a warning signal but that can be masked by the usual traffic noise.  It is important that all forms of the travelling public become tram conscious and integrate this into their movement patterns.

  The battle between the car and public transport has developed into a matter of convenience.   The long daily commute and the battle to find a parking space when you reach your destination makes public transport an acceptable option.  This addition of trams to the mix of rail, bus and ferry transport improves both the time and cost factor that is adding more customers to the public system.

The car is still essential at the city perimeter to get people to the traffic hubs that intersect the city but the numbers using public transport daily now speak for themselves.   The return of the trams will restore that inner city equilibrium that no other form of transport can provide.

Now all we have to do in get used to them and avoid conflict as they come into service.