Trams - Part Two: Suggestion rebuilding tram network in Kyoto

In the previous post, I wrote about how Melbourne keeps its tram network with history and circumstances.

Here, I would like to express my suggestion needing to rebuild tram network in Kyoto.

Previously my opinion was introducing double decker buses on busy city bus routes. However what happened on Bourke Street in Melbourne in the 1940s and 50s doesn't support my previous idea and changed into having trams back.

Traffic chaos in the busy tourist seasons are terrible. I have seen buses travelling so slow on Higashioji Street, east of the CBD. As many tourist attractions on the eastern and northern suburbs are not covered by rail transports, exploring Kyoto by public transport is frustrating and a nightmare, as inbound tourists save and spend a lot of money to come over to Japan.

In busy seasons, Kyoto City Council sends extra buses on busy routes, but the queues are long in many places. It's bad for the environment as well as creating more congestions. Capacity of buses are low, especially on low floor buses. These mobility friendly vehicles have dead space around wheels. Designline in New Zealand put chairs whose backs are facing towards the direction buses are travelling, but none of Japanese makes installs such seats. Worsely recent Isuzu Erga buses have standard models of short bodies, and such buses are purchased as majority. Melbourne's Yarra Trams have great E Class fleet of three section arculated vehicles. I was amazed and impressed with high capacity of the tram fleet when I boarded on a few times there.

Then Kyoto City council's poor operations on buses don't take any merit of operating diesel powered buses. They don't overtake buses at bus stops, even when buses on same routes stop at the same stop. Such poor operating itself causes delays and many bus drivers run at the red lights. I felt unsafe and uncomfortable travelling on the city buses many times. For the latter issue, trams will have priority tram traffic lights and road codes will be obeyed and trams are safer than buses.

In 1894, the first tram tracks in Kyoto was opened operated by a private operator. It was the first electrified rail in the nation.

Kyoto City Council started operating their tram services in 1912. Due to financial circumstnces, all tram tracks run and operated by Kyoto Electrified Rail have been purchased by the state operator. Tram tracks were extended until 1958.

But like in majority of cities in the globe, motorisation hit Kyoto in the late 1950s and 60s. In Japan, promoting motorisation and buildng underground train network were required to become big cities (cities populated one million or more have more authorisations to run the city). Trams have been labelled negatively as "out of date in transport systems".

Allowing private motor vehicles in roads shared with tram tracks caused a lot of traffic congestions. Once again the local authority banned private vehicles in some tram tracks but it was to late. Trams were running late and services became unreliable. Then the time when the next tram was coming was unpredictable. Frustrated passengers shifted trips to other tansport modes. Trams became less patronised.

In 1969, the New Transport Plan Bill was passed at the City Council Chamber. Closure of all tram lines except the outer city loop line.

The financial circumstances had been tough and the City Council Transport had a lot of losses. Closure of tram network was required to rebuild the state transport organisation with financial supports from the central Government.

The against petition signed by 270,000 people didn't stop undergoing the transport's financial rebuilding programme.

In 1978, all city council operated tram tracks were closed. Media reported big stories of the tram tracks closure in the city where the first electrified tram lines were opened.

Now it's the twenty-first century and the time to consider the environment. It's time to rebuild tram network in Kyoto.

My points of views are found similarly in LRT will save Kyoto (Tsumugi Book Publication, 2004). And some groups have been established lobbing the city council.

But local businesses were against and the city council didn't take any advice. The experiment conducted in the northern suburb seemed not successful.

The book has positive views on installing the LRT system. Introducing the ride and park encouraging locals and tourists to shift travelling on public transport is good and what I had thought. Transit Malls where basically only trams and pedestrians can access are great. Formally part of Wellington's Cuba Mall was a pedestrian area and I really loved it. Kyoto's Shijo Street in the CBD should have such system banning all private cars except loading tracks early in the morning. Unfortunately allowing private cars in the recently narrowed Shijo Street is a bad call (even controversial I think) and the city council didn't take a lesson from the past when they permitted private vehicles to share tram tracks.

I admit I won't expect the silly city council to take my suggestion but do hope trams are back on Kyoto streets in the near future.

Trams on the run

The Class 1800 Tram (now used as the Okazaki Park concierge information and bus waiting room buildng)
* It was originally built as the Class 800 in 1951 and then refurbished in 1969 for one-man operation.