Why aren't trams more of a thing in North America?>compatible with existing road infrastructure>dedicated tracks so no sitting in traffic like with taxis or buses>can have higher passenger capacity than busesEurope is ahead with regards to this and its more cost effective than a full metro service which is unlikely to happen in major cities.
>>1996672>compatible with existing road infrastructureDepends on the road. Most would work though.>dedicated tracks so no sitting in traffic like with taxis or busesVaries by location. Often they're not given dedicated lanes so they get stuck in traffic, even with signal priority.Because public transit projects are approved and shaped by politicians, they don't get built according to rational models/ridership predictions and you often get trams to nowhere that have permanently low ridership as a result. They're vanity projects/photo ops first, patronage/grift mechanisms second, jobs programs third, and practical transportation is a distant fourth place consideration. Their high construction cost per mile almost guarantees that no expansion happens or happens many years later.
>>1996672>compatible with existing road infrastructureIn what way? You've gotta tear up the road, add rail, add overhead wire, redo rhe signals, build stations, build a yard somewhere. In that case, a cut and cover subway or elevated metro is "compatible with existing road infrastructure" too.>more cost effective than a full metro serviceThey're not more cost effective, they're cheaper. That's like saying a smartphone is more cost effective than a desktop computer. They're entirely different product segments, and when you add features like grade separation, tunneling, automation, etc, they end up being just as expensive.
>>1996672>all the downsides of a busBUT ALSO>all the downsides of a trainYeah, why aren't these more common? It's a real head-scratcher...
>>1996672Are you kidding? America loves light rail even when there's enough demand for heavy rail.
>>1996672LA County refuses to expand their heavy rail metro network and instead prefer to run trams all the way to santa monica and long beach, or buses through hollywood
>>1996718Light rail and trams aren't the same thing.
>>1996731both their brt and light rail are better than a tram
>>1996749"light rail" is literally just a tram you turboretard
>>1996711Have you ever been on a tram or a bus? Trams have much higher capacity, they are more quiet, they can be faster, wider, more space, more comfortable, you don't fall out the windows during aggressive turns, can encourage development along the line, etc. they are much better than buses
>>1996827and a cessna 172 is a widebody jet
>>1996909>you don't get it! part of the tram network is on a viaduct so it's a competely different mode of transport!
>>1996910Yes.
>dedicated tracks so no sitting in traffic like with taxis or busesMy brother in Christ you have a photo of the toronto streetcar which is all street running lol
>>1996718Any light rail becomes heavy rail once an American boards.
