reasoning for trams in NYC

Working notes, still a work in progress.

There are many reasons trams could play a beneficial role as part of the NYC transit ecosystem:

1. Trams and level-boarded busses are the most wheelchair and mobility-limited accessible forms of mass transit possible
2. Trams double as traffic calming measures, and contribute to traffic evaporation
3. Trams can be implemented, maintained, and modified for a fraction of the cost of underground subways
4. Trams can take successful bus lines and enshrine them as regular, dedicated service corridors. They could be the "paved cowpaths" with respect to busses.
5. Tram right-of-ways can be road-flush, so that any number of authorized motor vehicles could use them, including emergency responders
6. Tram right-of-ways can operate directly within even moderately busy pedestrianized spaces like squares and parks, unlike busses and subways.
7. Tram right-of-ways can also be laid across non-roadways such as parks, greenways, and dedicated aerials, unlike busses.

Backlinks

• NYC should have trams