RE: Re: Driver’s View Tram 75 Vermont South to Camberwell Depot 28 Minutes.
  Bill Johnson

I don’t travel on route 75 but very frequently cross Burwood Highway at Springvale Rd or Blackburn Rd. At both the trams are often, usually, held up for a light circle before getting across the intersection to the stop (where passengers might have been waiting in the rain). YEARS ago I beseeched that if on approach the lights were green that they’d be held on for a period by the approaching tram. And a few years later somebody else said the same, there were articles about it in local press. But nothing ever seems to happen. Perhaps I should qualify this as it was reported a while back that a test was to be conducted whereby traffic light priority would be given to LATE running trams --- (why not all?) – has anything really happened?

Bill J

From:tramsdownunder@... [mailto:tramsdownunder@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David McLoughlin
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 9:40 AM
To: TramsDownUnder tramsdownunder@...>
Subject: [TramsDownUnder] Re: Driver’s View Tram 75 Vermont South to Camberwell Depot 28 Minutes.

Thanks Richard. A nice look along a line very familiar to me.

Some observations:

1: There are "next stop" recorded announcements for the first few stops inbound -- perhaps as far as Blackburn Road. Then none. Seems odd.

2: There seems to be no tram priority whatever at traffic lights, despite the existence of T lights at them all. At some lights, the T light went red as the tram approached, and made the tram wait for up to 100 seconds, including to allow cars to turn right in front of the stopped tram. Are there no transponders any more? Years ago, a driver in a B on an 88 demonstrated things like a driver-operated transponder to me. You'd think technology would be far and away better than that now, but even that seems to have gone.

3: As I always think when travelling along the outer sections of the 75 and the 86, I find it astounding that the trams appear to be limited to 50okh or 60kmh maximum when the motor traffic adjacent is 70kmh or 80kmh. I even saw a couple of 30kmh signs just for the trams. Today's trams can go much faster. When were governors fitted? It must have been decades ago now. Ghastly.


--
david mcloughlin, New Zealand
"Better to be a Never Was than a Has Been."

On Saturday, 15 June 2019 15:20:37 UTC+12, Richard Youl wrote:

If you have not ridden the 75 from Vermont South for a while, this may be an easier way to do so.

Regards,

https://youtu.be/yoa_K3l4YPE