Kerbside running is used extensively, particularly in Europe, and we also
have a long tradition of it in Sydney right up to the new CSELR which has
extensive kerbside running - except, unfortunately, in one place where it's
really needed. This is the University of NSW stop in Anzac Pde where the
original Sydney City Council design team proposed a kerbside stop at this
massively busy location for exactly the same reason as for those Melbourne
railway stations - the large crowd movements and the need for holding and
dispersal areas to accommodate crowds who won't all fit on the platform
straight away (in effect, a platform that blends into the
sidewalk/concourse plaza to create a larger holding/dispersal area).

In the Sydney CSELR case, the roads people vetoed a kerbside stop at UNSW
because they considered it would be too disruptive to road traffic
(swinging over from the centre of the road and back again), but there was
another perfectly viable solution - having the line kerbside all the way
from Kensington Jct to Kingsford. However, by the time this came up, the
project was in the hands of TfNSW and its American consultants and any
opportunity for slightly radical or lateral thinking went out the window.

Even worse, now that the stop is back in the centre of the road, it isn't
even getting higher-capacity and safer side platforms - it's getting a
centre island. Sydney suffers as much as Melbourne from the "cars first"
mentality and trams and their passengers pay a big price for that.

Tony P

On Saturday, 20 April 2019 16:22:11 UTC+10, William Jackson wrote:
>

> Is there any scope anywhere, such as the “Swanston Walk” for side of road

> running? Does it happen, and successfully, anywhere in the world? I look

> at the pathetic island stop outside Flinders Street and constantly think

> how much better it could be. It’s a nightmare with people coming and going

> and trying to cross the road, disorganised chaos.

>

> William – amateur planner

>