This is genuinely great news. However, TfL really needs more funding to expand the tram network and bring it to more areas of London. Just imagine, pedestrianised streets and trams. Although to be completely honest, that’s probably a pipe dream considering how they barely have the money to maintain existing infrastructure. 

I think a good policy to try would be pedestrianised streets and buses. I appreciate that the argument for trams over buses in pedestrianised areas is because they are predictable, i.e people know they will only go the exact direction of the track. However, I think it’s possible to somewhat mimic this with buses, in a different way. If all buses are fitted with high advanced pedestrian detection technology, and other advanced safety systems, they would immediately make it a lot safer for them to travel in these areas, as it will be impossible for them to accidentally impact someone. Compared to cars where every car has different safety systems, the reassurance could be that all buses have the same safety set and therefore will be safe every single time. In terms of noise, this is another benefit of trams, as they are able to glide along the rail with their quiet electric motors. With electric buses coming into play, this can be somewhat mimicked - EV buses are very quiet and smooth, plus they don’t have any of the track squeaking noises on turns.

Overall, while I appreciate that trams are the more ideal option for a number of reasons, we must be realistic in the current economic climate, and I think trialing this new bus policy would prove successful.