# Trams are Great! So why are the Streetcars SO BAD!?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhQxNHrD6fA
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/HhQxNHrD6fA
Generated: 2025-07-20T14:38:19.659+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Toronto's streetcar system is severely hampered by outdated infrastructure and policies that prioritize car traffic, resulting in slow, unreliable, and inaccessible service despite its high ridership, unlike efficient tram networks in European cities.

**Key Points:**
- Toronto's streetcars are frequently stuck in mixed traffic, making them slow and unreliable, often slower than walking.
- Unlike European trams, Toronto's streetcars lack dedicated lanes and signal priority at intersections, causing significant delays.
- The system suffers from "bunching" due to traffic, leading to inconsistent schedules and long waits followed by multiple streetcars arriving at once.
- Station design is poor, with most stops at the curb, forcing passengers to board from the street, and lacking real-time arrival information.
- Accessibility is severely limited, requiring drivers to manually deploy ramps for wheelchair users at a single designated door.
- The King Street Pilot Project demonstrated that prioritizing transit by removing cars significantly improved travel times, reliability, and ridership, and even speeding up emergency vehicle access.
- Despite proven success, Toronto's political will continues to prioritize car traffic over public transit improvements, hindering the streetcar system's potential.

![Screenshot at 0:56: A red and white Toronto streetcar is stuck in traffic behind multiple cars on a busy city street.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-00-56.png)

**Context:** The video contrasts the efficient tram systems in European cities like Amsterdam, which integrate seamlessly with urban environments, with the frustrating streetcar experience in Toronto. It delves into the historical context of streetcar removal in North America to make way for car infrastructure and subways, highlighting Toronto's unique retention of a large streetcar network. The narrator, having lived in both Amsterdam and Toronto, expresses frustration with Toronto's poorly designed system and explains how it could be significantly better.

## Detailed Analysis

Toronto's streetcar system, despite being the largest historic network in North America, operates inefficiently due to fundamental design flaws and a persistent car-first urban planning philosophy. Unlike European trams that often run in dedicated lanes with signal priority, Toronto's streetcars are frequently stuck in mixed traffic, leading to slow speeds, unpredictable schedules, and "bunching" where multiple streetcars arrive simultaneously after long waits. The system's infrastructure is outdated, with most stops located at the curb, forcing passengers to board from the street and lacking real-time arrival information. Accessibility is a major issue, as wheelchair users must signal the driver, who then manually deploys a single ramp, a process that is both inconvenient and unsafe due to ongoing car traffic. Historically, many streetcar lines were removed to accommodate cars or replaced by subways, a trend Toronto resisted in the 1970s due to public pressure. The King Street Pilot Project, a temporary initiative to prioritize streetcars by restricting car traffic, proved highly successful, significantly improving travel times, reliability, and rider satisfaction, and even speeding up emergency vehicle access. However, this success was met with fierce opposition from suburban politicians and right-wing media, who framed it as a "war on cars." Despite the pilot's positive outcomes and the relatively low cost of implementing such changes permanently, Toronto's political landscape continues to prioritize driver convenience, leading to a stagnant and underfunded streetcar system. This perpetuates a cycle where the streetcars are seen as an "antiquated" and "worthless" form of transit, preventing the city from realizing the full potential of its existing network as a viable alternative to driving, unlike many European cities that seamlessly integrate trams into walkable, car-reduced urban spaces.

### The Basics

- Trams vs. Streetcars: Trams are considered the best urban transport for their compatibility with urban places, even pedestrianized streets, as seen in Amsterdam where they run in dedicated lanes with signal priority
- Toronto's streetcars, however, are often slow and inefficient, operating in mixed traffic and lacking priority, leading to frustration for riders.

### A Brief History of Streetcars

- About 100 years ago, most North American cities had streetcars, but nearly all were removed to make way for car infrastructure
- Toronto uniquely retained its streetcar network, the largest historic one in North America, despite efforts by the Metro Roads Department to remove them for car accessibility and a stated goal of replacing them with subways.

### Problems with Toronto's Streetcars

- Streetcars are almost always stuck in traffic, moving so slowly that walking is often faster
- On-street parking forces streetcars to wait, contributing to delays and inconsistent schedules, leading to "bunching" of vehicles
- Traffic lights do not prioritize streetcars, forcing them to wait at almost every intersection, even on dedicated lanes
- Toronto's streetcar stops are too frequent (200-300m apart) compared to European trams (300-400m), increasing stop frequency and travel time.

### Accessibility and Safety Issues

- Toronto's streetcar stops are typically at the curb, requiring passengers to step into the street to board, which is unsafe
- Wheelchair users must push a special button, requiring the driver to manually deploy a ramp, a process that is slow and inconvenient
- Drivers often fail to stop for boarding passengers, and people are frequently hit by cars when exiting streetcars.

### Outdated Infrastructure and Operations

- Toronto uses outdated single-point switches that have a high risk of derailment, forcing streetcars to slow to 10 km/h through intersections
- The electronic switching systems are failing faster than they can be replaced, leading to manual operation with a "big stick"
- Trolley poles, used until 2017, were unreliable in winter and contributed to frequent disconnections, causing further delays.

### The King Street Pilot Project

- A temporary project to prioritize streetcars on King Street by restricting car traffic significantly improved travel times, reliability, and rider satisfaction
- Despite its success, the project faced strong opposition from suburban politicians and was watered down with exemptions for taxis and no permanent infrastructure upgrades.

### The Political Will and Future

- Toronto's political landscape prioritizes car traffic, leading to a lack of investment in streetcar infrastructure and continued inefficiency
- The city is building new light rail lines that are expensive and designed more like metros than efficient street-level trams, failing to fully leverage the benefits of modern tram systems.

![Screenshot at 0:04: A green tram moves through a pedestrianized square in Basel, Switzerland, with people walking freely.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-00-04.png)
![Screenshot at 0:22: A blue and white tram passes a black tram on dedicated tracks with grass in Amsterdam, Netherlands.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-00-22.png)
![Screenshot at 0:40: A red and white Toronto streetcar is stuck in a line of cars on a busy city street.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-00-40.png)
![Screenshot at 1:07: A Toronto streetcar is completely blocked by a line of cars, highlighting traffic congestion.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-01-07.png)
![Screenshot at 1:40: A vintage streetcar moves through a Toronto street in a historical photo, showing past urban design.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-01-40.png)
![Screenshot at 2:30: A modern red and white Toronto streetcar moves on a dedicated red lane, with a cyclist passing by.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-02-30.png)
![Screenshot at 3:35: Passengers board a Toronto streetcar directly from the street, with cars passing by, illustrating the lack of dedicated platforms.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-03-35.png)
![Screenshot at 4:40: A bright green tram moves on tracks alongside parked cars and a bike lane in Portland, USA.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-04-40.png)
![Screenshot at 5:09: A blue and white LRT train moves on tracks in a city center, showcasing a modern light rail system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-05-09.png)
![Screenshot at 8:45: Yellow and white trams move through a snowy city street in Germany, demonstrating effective winter operation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/HhQxNHrD6fA/00-08-45.png)