> There's a city-specific reason why San Francisco has stuck with wood rather than swap over to metals, and the answer lies in looking up. The high-voltage cables and wires that guide the city's (oft-maligned) public transport system Muni, and trolley cars crisscross above nearly every street, mean that ladders made of conductive elements are generally just too dangerous to use.
I wonder how it's done in European cities with their trams (the ones which don't use APS).
I wonder how it's done in European cities with their trams (the ones which don't use APS).