There's a couple of complications though. As it stands, it is even a problem for North Adelaide. I can't see how trams in O'Connell Street are feasible, given the plans to date. Single track as proposed by Council can't work, as trams entering that street have to wait until the tram at the terminus gets back. The alternative, used in Europe, of putting buses and trams on the same track and using side platforms is unknown in Adelaide.PeFe wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2023 12:43 pmYes you have hit the issue on the head. Trams in the 1930's worked perfectly along the major arterial roads because 90% of Australians couldn't afford cars so the roads were nearly empty.
Fast forward to today and 90% of Adelaidians drive a motor car and the roads are significantly clogged up for the rush hours making street running trams a very slow transport option not really doing anything that a bus couldn't do.
Trams should be brought back for short journeys (like North Adelaide) or along dedicated right of ways where some sort of decent speed can be achieved.
Money would be better spent on upgrading the rail system (which can move large amounts of people very quickly regardless of traffic) and improving frequencies on the bus network ie a 10 minute service pattern on Go Zones and 20 minute service at night with all last buses leaving around midnight.
Another complicating factor in the equation is urban consolidation. If, and that's a big "if", it occurs, then car transport is not viable. As you say, roads are crowded now. Put in three or four times more people in those areas, and cars to the city along those roads can't work either. That's when restrictions on cars plus trams actually work, because cars and buses cannot. However, that's the million dollar question. With current levels of immigration, something has to happen. If that something is urban fringe development, then, as you say, trains it is, with feeder buses to well spaced stations. If the option is urban consolidation, then trams in streets is the only way to go, because the street physically cannot cram enough cars in.
If it's the train option, then that also means the end of the existing practice of using trains for short station distances is a luxury for those lucky to live nearby, at the expense of people living in the outskirts. We can do that right now, but with high immigration, getting masses of people in from Gawler, Two Wells, Seaford etc is far more important than having that train with hundreds of passengers stop for one or two people every half kilometre.
Of course, all that might take years to work itself out. So, we'll stumble along for a while like we do now.
