On 31/03/2015 12:47, Tim Streater wrote:
....
Trams are expensive and more so if they need their own land (i.e. so as
not to be mixed with other traffic).

They also work well if run through pedestrianised areas, both keeping
them separate from other traffic and putting them close to where people
want them.

They also need to rely on the city
having been laid out with the possibility of trams in mind when it was
built, which is not the case for most of the UK.

Again, not a problem if the streets have been pedestrianised.

If you want to reduce
diesel bus pollution in towns, I'd have said trolley buses made more
sense. At least they can drive round an obstruction....

They can suffer the same problem of not being able to take a different
route if a road needs to be closed for some reason, although more modern
designs often have battery power or auxiliary motors to allow them to
work away from the wires.


--
Colin Bignell