This is a very thoughtful and timely question. I can't say what I know, but help is on the way, and it's not going to come from COTPA.

COTPA is a joke, but it is also underfunded. I'm not sure if they deserve all of the blame. It was explained to me this way: they have been underfunded -- and yet had so many different demands put on them -- they are unable to do anything successfully.

As someone who believes that government can be run efficiently and effectively, I don't necessarily buy this argument.

That being said COTPA is NOT the future. They are ill equipped for the needs of our modernizing city. There is another organization that is in the strong formative stages now that may provide a strong counterpoint, one that is potentially an operator of a system, but right now is more on the advocacy side.

When this group is put together, it's going to be composed of many powerful and progressive voices in this city, and the people I know who are involved at this stage are pragmatic and politically sensitive, but also passionately determined to delivering some workable, staged solutions to transit in this city.

Again, it's going to take citizens getting involved and analyzing the money trail of the old moneyed crowd and what has motivated them to develop the completely inadequate system we have today. The answers are cultural, political and financial, of course.

Now, regarding the Istook "rubber tire trolleys," we should just take them off the road if they cannot maintain a basic workable schedule for tourists. That's what they're designed for and they're not meeting their mission. If they aren't going to do it right, don't do it at all. As it stands now, they don't even seem to care that the system is unworkable for tourists.

How ominous in the article that the statement "no changes are planned" appears. What is that? This city deserves better -- if for nothing else, image alone. Let's face it: we don't have an ocean, mountains, world-class theater, top ten museums, or other attractions "major league" cities have. Can we just have a decent tourist trolley system that runs on time? Geez, how hard can it be?

Remember, Ernest Istook took money away from OKC that was designated for a street car system and gave us these cheesy, "vintage" trolleys. The sad thing is, many of our city leaders actually think of this as "transportation."

Let's drop the pretense. This city has a long ways to go before it's considered "major league."