Think Tram was a

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

program aimed at improving Melbourne's tram network. The intended benefits were reduced travel time and better reliability, and better accessibility. The program was run by

VicRoads VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government and a c ...

, in partnership with

Yarra Trams Yarra Trams is the trading name of the operator of the tram network in Melbourne, Australia, which is owned by VicTrack and leased to Yarra Trams by the Victorian Department of Transport. The current franchise is operated by Keolis Downer. As ...

and

Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria, Australia, Victoria. It was the trading name of the Go Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authorit ...

. The program targets individual routes or streets with a mixture of different treatments, including the sometimes controversial superstops.

Types of treatment

Superstops

Superstops are wheelchair-accessible platform stops, with rain shelters, seating, and real time arrival displays. Superstops, when served by low-floor trams, comply with the

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 The ''Disability Discrimination Act 1992'' (Cth) is an Act passed by the Parliament of Australia in which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, education, publicly available premises, provision of goods and se ...

. In general, introduction of superstops along a route has been accompanied by a reduction in the total number of stops and relocation of existing stops.

Traffic light priority

Traffic lights are switched in favour of approaching trams before (or as soon as possible after) a tram stops at an intersection. Right turning traffic may also be given priority to clear the path of the tram.

Separation kerbing and right turn bans

Yellow separation strips and/or signage are introduced to prevent turning cars from blocking the progress of trams. Right-turn bans and hook turns have been introduced at certain intersections.

Targeted routes

Swanston Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the main streets of the Melbourne central business district and was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertically ...

St Kilda Road St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city. St Kilda Road begins at Flinders Street, in ...

* Route 19 (

Royal Parade Royal Parade may refer to: * Royal Parade – street in Melbourne * Royal Parade (patience), an old English patience game {{Disambiguation ...

Sydney Road Sydney Road (in its northernmost part also known as the Hume Highway) is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Geography Sydney Road starts at the northern end of Royal Parade at the boundary of P ...

) * Bridge Road (Routes 48 and 75) * Route 55 (Queensbridge Street, William Street, Peel Street,

Flemington Road Flemington Road is a major thoroughfare in the inner suburbs of North Melbourne and Parkville in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs for 2 km in a northwest–southeast direction, from the southern end of Mount Alexander Road, Flemington, ...

) * Route 59 (Peel Street, Flemington Road) * Route 86 (

Bourke Street Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...

Gertrude Street Gertrude Street is a street in the inner northern suburb of Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia. History The Aboriginal Health Service opened on Gertrude Street in 1973, co-founded by Alma Thorpe, her mother Edna Brown, and Bruce McGuinness. It pr ...

, Smith Street, High Street, Plenty Road) * Route 109 ( Collins Street,

Spencer Street Spencer Street is a major street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, central business district of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The street was gazetted in 1837 as the westernmost boundary of the Hoddle Grid. ...

, Victoria Parade) * Route 112 (Clarendon Street, Brunswick Street,

St Georges Road St Georges Road is a main road in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, which passes through the suburbs of Fitzroy North, Northcote, Thornbury and Preston. Route St Georges Road starts at the intersection with Murray Road and Spring Str ...

)

Criticism

While many tram users have welcomed the new Superstops, there has also been complaints at the reduction in the number of stops and the introduction of new mid-block stops. A "funeral", coordinated by the

Public Transport Users Association The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne. It is run entirely by volunteers and has no full-time staff. History and aims The organisation was founded i ...

, was held for the tram stops being closed, featuring a procession with coffin from the former tram stops to the Transport Minister's office. Despite these protests, the program continued. Hook Turn Sign Melbourne

During a trial of a number of Think Tram treatments in Clarendon Street,

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

, traders complained about the reduction in parking availability. They successfully lobbied to have the departure-side stops returned to their old arrival-side configuration, although the introduced

hook turn A hook turn (Australian English) or two-stage turn (British English), also known as a Copenhagen Left (in reference to cyclists specifically), is a road cycling manoeuvre or a motor vehicle traffic-control mechanism in which vehicles that would n ...

s were kept.Clarendon Street tram stop trial gets the hook
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' 7 June 2005