Edinburgh in Scotland has been building a new tram system for the past 10 years. It has been fraught with scandal and disappointment, but at long last there is light at the end of the Haymarket tunnel - bear with me commuters!
Currently the traffic is abysmal, and has been for many years. The trams were brought in to save an ailing road and transport infrastructure but in doing so have created more jams and road rage than you would ever think possible.
So what happens when the trams finally start running, how will the car drivers cope?
From evidence gleaned from around the WWWinternet, well it would appear that most tram accidents occur without cars being involved. The types of accidents we can look forward to are:
Bikes getting their wheels stuck in the ruts and discarding the unlucky cyclist
Blind people falling from the platform
Sighted people falling
Trams failing to stop and hitting the tram in front
Suicide
Drunk people falling under trams
Cars hitting pedestrians risking life and limb to catch the tram (literally)
And so on....
I myself was a young boy when Glasgow discarded its tram and trolley bus network. A daft move in most people's opinion. The trams in Glasgow produced many a character in the shape of the tram conductors or clippies, notorious for their ambiguous cry at ticketless louts - " Come oan - Get aff!"
LATEST UPDATE - The trams finally opened in Scotland's capital
at the end of May 2014 after years of delay, spiraling costs and a lengthy dispute between the city council and its contractor.
at the end of May 2014 after years of delay, spiraling costs and a lengthy dispute between the city council and its contractor.
The project was due to cost £375 million when announced in 2003 but that figure has risen to around £776 million to date.
Organisers also backtracked on plans to create a number of different tram lines, instead launching a single track running from Edinburgh's New Town to the airport.
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| Edinburgh Trams |
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