Trams – Melbournes inner city transport

Melbourne Tram - St.Kilda Beach Route

Melbourne prides itself on good inner city transport amoungst other things, I cant say much for the transport in the suburbs as its always in disarray. But the tram network of Melbourne's CBD is usually top notch, allowing for fast transport anywhere in the city district. However effecient they are, there will always be other puzzling things about the trams that never get the attention. One of which I noticed whilst waiting for a tram recently in the city. As a tram rolled up to the stop, and people boarded, I noticed a set of huge scrapes and dents down the side of the tram. The paint had been scratched back to bear metal and the body was rippled as a result of an impact. Now one would know that a tram is restricted to the tracks laid before it and therefore does not have the ability to lane dive or swurve past oncoming traffic. So I must ask the people of Melbourne a question, who is trying to beat these trams to a gap past a parked car? Are you nuts? Sorry two questions there. These are extremly heavy and rigid vehicles that dont stop on a dime and cannot move out of the way for you. Therefore there is usually one outcome when taking on a tram with no room to pass it, its called an accident. If you could call it that, when you generally know there is a risk involved with overtaking it. You see, the tram will always win, your in a machine with probably maximum of 2000kg of weight. The tram on the other hand has probably in excess of 20'000-30'000kg of mass, and is confined to a set of tracks keeping it on path. Your going to hit it and just bounce off the other way.

So in saying that, someone obviously tried to take on the tram and lost. Leaving them without a car for a few weeks whilst it was repaired, or written off by insurance.

There was another item that came to my attention when I finally boarded my tram, it was a short trip of only three minutes but gave me enough time to notice a light fitting with a perculiar marking. This marking resembled blood dripping down from the roof. Obviously its not the left over signs of a mass murder on the city circle tram, but some persons idea of art. But being an old tram from yester year who knows. I remember as a high school student we used to cram on 150 of us for the trip to school, dare say the trams copped a fair bashing from us.

Tram and Car Road Sharing Advice: Dont take on a tram, you'll always lose.