In praise of trams

“I was among those who opposed the replacement of Dundee trams with buses,” says a Perth reader. “There were a few places where the streets were too narrow to take the trams safely, but, shortly after the trams were phased out, most of these areas were subject to demolition and the streets concerned could have been widened to render them suitable for trams for many years to come.

“Trams were cheaper to run than buses. This would apply even more so today. Trams would also please modern environmentalists more than buses, since they do not emit harmful fumes.

“Trams are more durable than buses. The useful life of a bus is around 10 years, while trams seemed to go on forever. At busy times, even in the 1950s, there appeared trams on our streets which had been in service since the early 1900s.

“It might also have saved such streets as the Nethergate, Lindsay Street, Cowgate and

the Overgate from the demolishers if a new plan for the city centre and its approaches had been based on keeping the existent road network and tramlines intact.

“The trams system could also have been extended. Imagine trams travelling as far as Invergowrie and Ninewells Hospital and a connecting line between Perth Road and Lochee! Broughty Ferry once had a tram connection – such a line could have been reinstated.

“Dundee is now selling itself as a tourist city, with its Discovery Point and the V&A and other museums. Tourists would have flocked here to travel on the trams, as they do in Blackpool.”