A look at streetcars past and present
CTV has a feature on streetcars past and present as the CAQ ponders bringing them back. But extending the blue line or reaching other under-served parts of town could mean someone having to get to work by taking a bus to a tram to the metro, and who wants to do that?
Etienne 06:52 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Oh yess! That would be so nice!
I hope tram development picks back up in Montreal and we start seeing some rails soon. IMO trams gives such a nice appeal to urban life.
For a look of what *could* be possible look at this post:
http://www.metrodemontreal.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=102357
Ephraim 07:36 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Light rail (or if you prefer, a tram) is so much more efficient than a bus. An articulated bus handles 115 people (47 seated) and a tram can handle up to 275 people… with just one driver. And it runs on electricity, which we have plenty of. Low floor to make them accessible the old and handicapped. And if you really wanted to, you can build shelters with automatic doors, so people can be shielded from the hot/cold while waiting.
Raymond Lutz 08:11 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Yes, and tram are fun to drive! …stupid cars…
Ephraim 09:28 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Another nice thing about trams is that you can leave the earth underneath and let the grass grow, other than at intersections, of course. But leaving it with earth and having grass does serve as a way of telling others that it’s not a place to drive.
Spi 10:12 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
The main problem with trams/light rail is that if it’s not entirely grade separated from the rest of the street then it’s one accident away from completely halting service on the entire line and they don’t offer the flexibility to detour like busses do.
qatzelok 11:35 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Raymond Lutz, thanks for the pro-tram video! Lots of smiles.
Raymond Lutz 13:02 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Bienvenue, qatzelok! Maybe I’ll use it for illustrating the Momentum Conservation Principle… 😎
Faiz Imam 17:50 on 2019-06-10 Permalink
Spi said what I came here to say. Buses are fine, Trams can be better. But as long as its in mixed traffic, its basically useless.
We don’t need full grade separation. Mixed intersections are fine, as long as they have proper signal priority, but we need to install them in proper Rights of ways to operate well.
The only project I know that has a good plan for that is in the South shore. There’s a really nice BRT project being planned for years now to go from Longueuil Metro to Terminus Panama in Brossard. The CAQ came in and asked it be extended to La prairie, which is fine.
The key there is that the avenue is gargantuan, so there’s plenty of space for dedicated rights of way. In contrast a street car on Sherbrooke is not going to accomplish much. (hence Pink line. At some point you have to bite the bullet and bring in the big guns)
Kate 18:25 on 2019-06-11 Permalink
So how do other cities with street-level trams manage?
Ian 19:47 on 2019-06-11 Permalink
I have seen many streetcar vs vehicle or pedestrian accidents in Toronto. Short version: streetcars always win. I once saw a little Toyota get kind of sucked up into the streetcar wheels on Spadina because the driver tried to cut off a streetcar like an idiot. Oops.