The streetcar rails probably predate the dominance of the car. Before cars came along, traffic on most city streets was about 3 MPH, maybe 10 MPH at most. Take a look at the "A Trip Down Market Street" video taken in 1906 SF just before the big earthquake. It looks like chaos but it actually worked fairly well.
Why are the streetcars in the middle of the road?
Shouldn't they be on the sides so people don't have to play frogger to get to them?
How much do you trust drivers street parking to not block the side lane?
You ever see what happens when a car blocks a firetruck?
I'm sure it makes a great dudes rock youtube video but I doubt your grandma wants to routinely ram into cars on her way to the grocery.
The streetcar rails probably predate the dominance of the car. Before cars came along, traffic on most city streets was about 3 MPH, maybe 10 MPH at most. Take a look at the "A Trip Down Market Street" video taken in 1906 SF just before the big earthquake. It looks like chaos but it actually worked fairly well.