> If just one car is parked a few inches beyond the edge of the parking lane
In places where I have lived and worked that have trams the car always comes off worst because the tram is just so much heavier and more robust. And no one is going to defend the car owner because the tram has right of way. I have even seen buses just touch cars that were illegally parked in bus stops, just a gentle scratch and easily deniable, but you can bet that the car driver never does it again.
In my experience, the streetcar driver is unwilling to make contact. It waits (perhaps for the car to be towed), passengers hop off and continue their journey on foot.
In places where I have lived and worked that have trams the car always comes off worst because the tram is just so much heavier and more robust. And no one is going to defend the car owner because the tram has right of way. I have even seen buses just touch cars that were illegally parked in bus stops, just a gentle scratch and easily deniable, but you can bet that the car driver never does it again.