Yes, and not only that, American streetcars had often gotten rights to build track from the city in return for responsibility to repair the streets the tracks w

Yes, and not only that, American streetcars had often gotten rights to build track from the city in return for responsibility to repair the streets the tracks were on. Which was a fine deal when there was only foot and horse traffic, but put them in an untenable situation when suddenly cars (which cause much more wear and tear on streets then people or horses) became popular.