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If we create dedicated tracks for these buses we could make them go even faster, and automating them would be so much simpler: you wouldn't even need steering! Someone should look into this.

And we can make them environmentally friendly by having them run on electricity that is constantly supplied by overhead power lines, alleviating the need for heavy batteries. I think we are onto something here
Seeing this thread pains me. I recall reading the Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh and in it they had an alien politician mention cars in passing, stating that it would be stupid to give their citizens this selfish way of transportation and rather invested in train infrastructure. And boy does it seem stupid looking back. Something like 30% by area of US cities are taken up by parking space and it get's so much worse once think about what a city would look like if built for people and not cars.
In urban areas isn’t the speed limit determined by the need to deal with pedestrians and other traffic?

If your hypothetical tracked buses are going to go faster than regular buses and cars there will need to be some sort of isolation of them, such as elevated tracks or underground tracks. That raises the cost significantly.

You probably will only be able to afford this on a few routes that are heavily travelled and that are expected to remain heavily travelled for decades.

That will probable leave a lot of your city far enough from a tracked buses stop that many won’t be within reasonable walking distance so you are still going to need some form of public transit, such as regular buses.

Sure, I'd settle for self-driving trams, but it doesn't seem like we're even close to self-driving trains, and they encounter far fewer pedestrians. Self-driving metro trains are here, though, but those are way more expensive to build.
The Vancouver Skytrain has been fully autonomous since it opened in 1986.
That's fully-segregated, though, right? That's a far easier problem than a tram, which typically has to interact with pedestrians and traffic. That's about the easiest type of transport to automate.
Fine, fine, you've sold me. We'll grade-separate them too.
Actually that kind of sucks.

Much nicer when it’s easy to step on/step off.

So much easier to break the system. One inconsiderate parker later and the whole tram - nay! The entire line must halt operations.
Just put a cow catcher on the front and keep moving
In practice, it's fairly rare that this actually happens.
In practice, it's fairly rare that this actually happens.

Put a trendy restaurant next to the tracks, and watch the trains back up as multiple Uber Eats drivers park on the tracks to pick up food.

Happens every day where I live. The city won't do anything about it because most of the local politicians hate the trains.

Remove parking spaces next to tram tracks and increase fines
Yes the AI would be much easier to train.
Trams here in Amsterdam are already the deadliest vehicle for pedestrians and cyclists no need to make it worse
> Trams here in Amsterdam are already the deadliest vehicle for pedestrians and cyclists no need to make it worse

Where are you seeing this supporting data?

The data I can find doesn't support the assertion.

> In the period between 2019 and 2022, 1,199 cyclists were killed in traffic accidents, with 42 percent of these accidents being caused by collisions with a passenger car or van.

https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2024/15/684-road-traffic-death...

Maybe CBS counts trams as "passenger cars"? There isn't any other category where they would fit.

This article states there were 5 deaths caused by tram in 2022 (out of 15 total)

https://openresearch.amsterdam/nl/media/inline/2024/2/12/rap...

Here is says that indeed cbs doesn't track it and that there were 21 deaths per year caused by trams, buses and trains, with 57% of those pedestrian or cyclist

https://swov.nl/nl/fact/openbaar-vervoer-hoeveel-slachtoffer...

this ad-article "Jaarlijks worden er om en nabij 150 personen behandeld in een ziekenhuis na een aanrijding met een tram en komen er zelfs 40 personen te overlijden na een tramongeval." - I think what they mean is 40 people in a decade?

https://letselschadekompas.nl/tram-ongeluk-amsterdam/

and here are some news:

https://www.at5.nl/nieuws/227944/toerist-19-overleden-na-aan...

https://www.dewestkrant.nl/dodelijk-slachtoffer-tramongeval-...

https://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2265358/fietser-overleden-na-aa...

https://www.at5.nl/artikelen/165946/voetganger-overleden-na-...

https://www.bd.nl/binnenland/slachtoffer-overleden-na-aanrij...

So what you're saying is the data doesn't support the claim that trams are particularly dangerous, or more dangerous than passenger vehicles?
A third of the deaths caused by a 227 trams compared to 100 000s cars? If you see a tram there is >10% chance this particular one killed someone.
like trolleys/tramways ?
I suppose the /s was implicit

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