Tracks should definitely be kerbside when there's a lot of activity biased
to one side of the road. It's much more passenger-friendly and we don't
want to let buses hog that quality alone. In many situations it's a real
pain to have to go to the middle of the road and, even worse, be trapped by
traffic lights as the tram you wanted to catch takes off without you.

For stub termini with two tracks, a central island platform is always more
desirable because you can access trams either side of the platform,
whichever leaves first.

I know that tracks cross from centre to side in other cities quite without
hassle, but apparently the notion was too much for the NSW former RMS. It
was more to do with motor traffic being inconvenienced by having to stop at
all, rather than safety considerations.

Tony P