"There's something inherently romantic about...

TRAMS"

Go on, admit it, that wasn't quite what you were thinking of, was it. That's a quote from a guide to Riga i discovered on my recent trip there. In Edinburgh, on the other hand, it seems like there is something surprisingly controversial about trams.

For as long as I've been in Edinburgh they have been talking about reintroducing the tram and just when it looks like it might actually happen, along comes a new SNP administration to throw a spanner in the works. The other four political parties (tories, green, labour and lib-dems) all seem in favour of the tram and the reasons seem sound - a quicker, greener transport system for Edinburgh. So just what is the Nats problem with the good old tram.

• The cost is very high - £700 million for a system with just three routes that will leave vast swathes of the city unserviced. For that money you could completely replace all Lothian Regional Transport buses with more environmentally sound vehicles, increase services and still have few hundred million in change they argue. This would serve a much greater number of people in Edinburgh
• Trams are noisy - a bone of contention for those who live next to the proposed routes.
• There is also an under-acknowledged class element to this. One of the columnists in the Scotsman reported on attending a community meeting where she had been surprised to discover that the concensus was rather against than for the tram and one of the strongest feelings was that the tram was for those people who think they're too good to get on the bus with the rest of us.

The counter argument, I guess, is that the efficiency and attractiveness of the tram would be a greater incentive to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, which is surely better for the environment. You see, maybe it does all come down to romance after all. It is still undoubtedly true that more needs to be done in a city like Edinburgh to reduce car usage. I'm just not convinced that a limited tram service provides the best option for the money in order to do this.

One thing is sure - unlike the trams, the argument looks set to rumble on and on.