Streetcar

[shartel_ave]

The streetcar needs to have the ability to turn lights green so it doesn't have to stop at each light, a lot of cities street cars do this. I love OKC's streetcar but it is so slow.

[TheTravellers]

The streetcar needs to have the ability to turn lights green so it doesn't have to stop at each light, a lot of cities street cars do this. I love OKC's streetcar but it is so slow.

It does have signal prioritization, but not at all intersections (which most of us believe is a stupid decision, I believe, but it was a battle to just get the ones that they did get).

[shartel_ave]

For sure it will expand. I remember when Salt Lake City only had one line and now their rail almost covers the entire city and Seattle is a great example as well they have expansions going up into the 2030's

[Jersey Boss]

It does have signal prioritization, but not at all intersections (which most of us believe is a stupid decision, I believe, but it was a battle to just get the ones that they did get).

So why the battle and what interests were opposed?

[TheTravellers]

So why the battle and what interests were opposed?

Not completely sure, Urbanized can fill in the details on this one. From what I remember, there were a ton of recommendations from anybody with half a brain to use signal prioritization on quite a few intersections, but the committee decided to not do them (because of the cost and the horrible massive disruption to automobile traffic, I think), then they got pushed into doing a few, and then they maybe did a few more, then they stopped and said "Yeah, that's enough", even though it's probably not. The powers-that-be here in the city just can't see beyond carscarscarscars (it's getting better, but not by much, and not fast enough - the bike lanes on Main/General Pershing are ridiculous because for the most part, they're just painted lines).

[shawnw]

Public works is opposed

[Pete]

The group backing Frank Urbanic for mayor (and Urbanic himself) is making the subsidy of the streetcar a major issue.

Lots of old suburban cranks are joining in.

It's become kind of a lightning rod for the always-looking-for-a-grievance Facebook crowd.

[shawnw]

Such an ironic last name

[Urbanized]

Not completely sure, Urbanized can fill in the details on this one. From what I remember, there were a ton of recommendations from anybody with half a brain to use signal prioritization on quite a few intersections, but the committee decided to not do them (because of the cost and the horrible massive disruption to automobile traffic, I think), then they got pushed into doing a few, and then they maybe did a few more, then they stopped and said "Yeah, that's enough", even though it's probably not. The powers-that-be here in the city just can't see beyond carscarscarscars (it's getting better, but not by much, and not fast enough - the bike lanes on Main/General Pershing are ridiculous because for the most part, they're just painted lines).

Urban Pioneer probably…I wasn’t personally involved in streetcar.

I will say one thing about it after watching it closely AND using it for a few years now: I think much of what holds it back could be fixed for the cost of about three blocks of track and some new lane striping. If the track had a cutoff that continued directly south at Sheridan and Robinson and reconnected at Reno and Robinson (two blocks) and also had a cutoff that directly 11th and Robinson to tenth and Robinson you could create a Bricktown circulator, a Midtown circulator and a N-S spine.

As for lane striping, I would choose several key areas that currently have too-wide shared lanes and create dedicated transit/emergency lanes that guaranteed quick routes. It would suddenly become an incredibly quick way to get from A to B downtown. I don’t think the fare is the obstacle; it’s the meandering route.

[catch22]

I agree ^^

I "used" it for the first time a few weeks ago and was amazed at how slow it moved me to where I wanted to go. I was trying to go from the scissortail park to 12th and Broadway. After a 10 minute wait, we crawled through downtown only to be stopped by a vehicle encroaching in the lane, and then continued on a very slow pace up my stop. I reckon it took nearly 30 minutes from A to B and it's realistically only a 20 minute walk probably.

I have riden the streetcar a time or two before, but that was simply out of novelty. This was my first time using it for transit as I had no car available to me. It is really not effective in its current form; and I am pretty disappointed about that because I was (and still am) a huge proponent of it. It needs a fix, but that too is a political suicide for it. If there were a way to silently fix the route....

[SEMIweather]

Best bet is probably to try and land some funding from the infrastructure bill. No idea how realistic of a possibility that is, but seems like it's either that or wait until a decade from now when (hopefully) the RTA has been funded and the commuter rail corridor from Edmond to Norman has been completed.

[BoulderSooner]

Not completely sure, Urbanized can fill in the details on this one. From what I remember, there were a ton of recommendations from anybody with half a brain to use signal prioritization on quite a few intersections, but the committee decided to not do them (because of the cost and the horrible massive disruption to automobile traffic, I think), then they got pushed into doing a few, and then they maybe did a few more, then they stopped and said "Yeah, that's enough", even though it's probably not. The powers-that-be here in the city just can't see beyond carscarscarscars (it's getting better, but not by much, and not fast enough - the bike lanes on Main/General Pershing are ridiculous because for the most part, they're just painted lines).

the committee wanted all of the prioritization it could get at every intersection ...

the push back was from city public works .....

[TheTravellers]

Urban Pioneer probably…I wasn’t personally involved in streetcar.
...

Yeah, you're right, sorry. Anyway, all that info should be back in the thread somewhere.

[HangryHippo]

I don’t think the fare is the obstacle; it’s the meandering route.

This. The route is just bad.

Whatever happened to Urban Pioneer?

[jedicurt]

yep... always thought this route was a terrible choice. and it keeps showing to be. they made it to be pretty and stand out, not to stir development or be practical for transportation.

[Urbanized]

To be clear I was really mostly saying not that the route was bad but instead that a couple of tweaks could make it much better. Streamlined, more efficient, quicker and easier to use.

[catch22]

yep... always thought this route was a terrible choice. and it keeps showing to be. they made it to be pretty and stand out, not to stir development or be practical for transportation.

The streetcar subcommittee really didn’t have much of a choice. The consultant returned them a series of bad options and they didn’t have the authority or political backing to tell the consultant to try again. They picked the least bad option

Urbanized has some great points on some ways to modify the existing route to make the best of the bones of it, but I don’t see how that would fly politically.

[Mott]

This. The route is just bad.

Whatever happened to Urban Pioneer?

The route is absolutely hopeless, a true fiasco.

[BoulderSooner]

yep... always thought this route was a terrible choice. and it keeps showing to be. they made it to be pretty and stand out, not to stir development or be practical for transportation.

the route was the only political viable option .. and if the system is expanded / regional rail gets built this route will work better and better..

[kukblue1]

Street car was stopped twice last night after the Thunder game for people parking over the white line west of the Myriad Gardens. Thankfully they made it bye but is this issues still happening a lot. Is the city towing them or doing anything about it. I didn't see any parking tickets on the car or a tow truck near by. Of course it was a Sunday night so probably nothing happened.

[shawnw]

Saw it happen a couple Sundays ago in Auto Alley as well

[catch22]

They need to put a plow on the front of the streetcar and just run it through.

[TheTravellers]

Absolutely absurd that this is still happening! Thought they had a tow service on call and were supposed to get cars out of the way immediately. Why can't OKC figure things out (or implement things) that other cities have had figured out for years or decades...

[shawnw]

Surprised a "free market" situation hasn't arisen where some tow truck companies aren't just floating around ready to tow someone downtown while they're on call for other work.

[LakeEffect]

the route was the only political viable option .. and if the system is expanded / regional rail gets built this route will work better and better..

I missed this before. This isn't really true. It's the only type of option the consultant wanted to promote. They swore up and down that couplets were better.