Tram plus points

From Energy-Experts

Why trams are an integral part of an approach to low carbon / no oil transport futures.

Key advantages:

1. The key advantages then are that they can be run on renewable energy directly via overhead wire without expensive battery storage that is required in cars.

2. There is no evident method yet on the horizon by which cars will ever be run on non-oil based fuels with the same utility they can on oil. – To expensive and too poor performance.

3. Cars cause traffic jams because they are much less efficiency at moving people than a tram network.

4. By the simple act of being there, and denying cars road space, trams can get about quickly, and offer a much better alternative than queuing in a car. People then are keen to use them (see, Grenoble, Antwerp, Lisbon, Helsinki). In other words trams are a much cheaper method of road pricing, (than stupid and expensive satellite systems) whose chief aim is to discourage people from driving during congested periods.

5. Psychologically, in the same way the people prefer to drive in smart, new, large, 4 wheel drive cars, (because it makes them feel better), people much prefer to travel, in gleaming, expensive, slightly noisy and imperious, traffic parting trams. They are preferable to trolley buses for this reason. (albeit trolley buses are better than buses, and cars)

General points

1. Modern cities only grew to large sizes due to the ability of horse drawn trams to move the masses around over longish in-city distances.

2. These were replaced as early as the 1890s by electric trams and almost every major city had a tram network, even relatively small ones such as Bath had these extensive networks.

3. These networks were removed in the 1930s due essentially to political pressure coming from motor car and oil industry lobbies who wanted to sell cars and energy to the motorists, rather than the local council operated power station selling them cheap electricity.

4. This forced the un-carred into much less popular diesel buses with the result that they too were forced to buy cars.

5. This led to mass traffic jams, and the general noise and unpleasantness now associated with all large tramless cities.

6. All trams were removed in France in the 60s but now about 12 major French cities have rebuilt the networks.

7. Any one who has travelled on well trammed cities will know they are a much more convenient and popular method of transport, and that such cities have much less congestion than untrammed cities.

8. Psychologically, car drivers are intimidated by trams and basically get out of the way. This means even where trams and cars have to share the same road space, ie are un-segregated, the trams can glide along unimpeded.

9. By the simple act of being there, and denying cars road space, trams can get about quickly, and offer a much better alternative than queuing in a car. People then are keen to use them (see, Grenoble, Antwerp, Lisbon, Helsinki)

10. The key advantages then are that they can be run on renewable energy directly without expensive battery storage that is required in cars.

11. The key advantages then are that they can be run on renewable energy directly via overhead wire without expensive battery storage that is required in cars.