Videos of Trams in Other Cities, Croydon, Lisbon, Zurich, Basle,

History

The first horse drawn tram appeared in 1807 in Wales followed by the USA in 1832. The first electric trams appeared around 1880 in Russia, closely followed in 1881 in Berlin. By 1889, over a hundred electric railways had been begun or planned on several continents and the electric tram or streetcars in the USA were responsible for the growth of European and American cities, as they gave a cheap and rapid means of transport. 

The trams basically created the layout of most of the cities of that time.  The attempt to force motor cars into such cities has led to traffic chaos and pollution worldwide.

Many cities are now reintroducing trams as it has been shown they are a solution to congestion and pollution, and generally regenerate the host cities

Croydon

Although publicly promoted and funded tramways in the UK have not always given good value for money, other countries manage it, and we might learn from them, as indeed
did the Tramlink in Croydon, which was privately funded and promoted, and subsequently purchased by TfL. It carries 35m passengers pa, over 25% of whom have left a car at home. Traffic in Croydon has declined by a fifth since opening in 2000, whereas in the rest of London it has increased.

Trams sharing roads with cyclists, in traffic free Basle

• Bordeaux (with no visible wires or cables!)
• Tours
• Lisbon
• Vienna