If they're running slower than expected it seems like that would be a good thing to communicate to riders since a lot of people seem to have concluded today that it's not functional.

Anyway, I'm heading up to OKC tomorrow to ride that sucker around. Pretty exciting.

As the drivers become more confident with the route; times will speed up. They have done test runs with empty to a few passengers on the streetcars for test runs; therefore imagine how difficult yet stressful it was to coordinate the streetcars running the 4.8 mile Downtown-Midtown Loop; the 2.0 mile Bricktown Loop and the entire loop. You probably had 5-6 streetcars running simultaneously.

Every streetcar appeared to be at capacity with many standing. Had to be a very difficult and chaotic day for the drivers as well as the passenger; especially with street traffic and making one to many of the 22 stops along the various routes.

It may have been near capacity around 12:30 or so when the thing first opened. I made two trips downtown, the first was around 12:30. From door to door, including walking probably about 3 blocks total, it was 26 minute trip down and about the same back. If you're going to the courthouse, it cuts a LOT [a good 20 minutes] of time off if you board at the library stop instead of where I got off at the business district.

When you look at the system design, you have to appreciate those stops so close together allowing you to skip the Bricktown loop entirely.

I think it will help tremendously that it is not going to stop at any platform where there are no people waiting and no stop button pushed. That will allow for more speed as well! I thought the corner turns were painfully slow, surely that will get better. Definitely agree for lunch use it will need to be less than 30 minutes on the streetcar. All that said, people were jubilant yesterday, it was awesome to see everyone being a community - new friends everywhere. It’s a city confidence builder, and absolutely will be an economic engine. I imagine developers will quickly see this and start working on more housing within 3-4 blocks of the line. Visitors are going to LOVE it.

Also I don’t think it can be said enough that the streetcar is, long term, likely to be expanded out through OUHSC and hopefully to the Capitol. Also I think the study has either a streetcar or BRT going into Capitol Hill to the south side. Eventually, 10 years from now or so we can ride light rail or a commuter train from Norman to the Sante Fe station and take the streetcar to work. It simply won’t be fulfilling its whole purpose right away.

So what are the tracks that run from Reno up to Sheraton on Gaylord Street by the Cox convention center. Is the plan maybe one day to use that track to skip bricktown say from 3-5 when people are getting off work or first thing in the morning.

I rode it last night about 7PM.

The car was full but not packed. Lots of families and kids checking it out.

I'm downtown all the time and frequently walk through the various districts. But riding along, I noticed things I had not before. Such an interesting way to tour the area, especially this time of year with so many places decorated for Christmas.

It also serves to remind how incredibly far we've come as a city, just seeing so much of it while riding along and being a passanger free to look around as much as you'd like.

I have to say, it was one of those chills-down-my-spine moments.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/streetcar121518a.jpg


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http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/streetcar121518c.jpg


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Rode it this morning. Was great. Everyone was so enthused, and without beating a dead horse it still felt kind of surreal to be on a train like that in OKC. Only took it from Automobile Alley to the Midtown/NW 10th stop to get to Elemental. When we went back to the law school stop to get back on, the wait had ballooned to 23 minutes (but then only another 7 for the one behind it). Like the above posters said, hopefully they get the kinks worked out and can get it to the point that they run reliably at ~< 15 min intervals. I agree with Pete that it somehow does give a different impression of the city. I kept thinking "oh, I didn't realize X was so close to Y", etc. I'm pretty excited and hope it is a smashing success.

Also, the website says there will be WiFi on board. Does anyone know what the name of the network is?

I rode the street car yesterday. The quality of the ride was fantastic and signage was top notch. I'm curious how well things will go once passengers are required to pay for rides. Wish it continued to be free like the Kansas City streetcar system. The larger loop takes 45-50 minutes. I actually got off about half way through the loop and found a scooter to ride back to the office, which was much faster--- Ha!

The wife and I hoped on last night. We parked at my office and walked across the street to the platform near 4th and Hudson. We were headed to Jazmoz Bourdon Street Cafe. Took about 20 minutes for the streetcar to arrive and the people waiting said they’d been there for about 10 minutes already. The street car we got on was packed, which was expected. Everyone on board was having a good time and really friendly.

Took 40 minutes to get to the stop just east of the ballpark. By then we were running late and the streetcar just sat there at the platform. The security guard onboard said we could be there awhile because a car was obstructing the rail. We got off and walked to the restaurant about 3 blocks away.

It was kinda fun. I didn’t get the awe-inspiring “man, we are a big league city now” feel some people apparently got. But it was fine.

I wish the app was like Uber and would show you exactly where the street car was. For as small as our downtown is, it definitely was not more convenient.

After dinner we went to the Santa Fe platform to get a ride back to the car. That wait was 28 minutes in the cold and the kiosk kept saying it was only 8 minutes away. We definitely would probably simply call for an Uber next time while still in the warm restaurant. In the warmer months though it probably wouldn’t be a big deal - however, if it was warmer we’d most likely just walk.

We don’t go into Bricktoen hardly ever, so I don’t think it’s going to impact us much in the evening.

I’d consider it for lunch rides into Bricktown, but the wait is going to have to get considerably less to make that doable.

Be interesting to see how it all works in say 6-8 months.

Folks feel free to give unrestrained feedback. We read these comments and take them seriously.

I can tell you that I was on the second train yesterday with the Mayor. It was somewhat excruciatingly slow but I am sure the operator was being overly cautious. Later that night I rode one with another transit advocate and the operator treated it almost like Light Rail in a dedicated right-of-way. It was incredibly efficient and driven exceptionally well.

It will take many, many trips to work out the kinks and establish a repeating of problems to develop patterns of issues that need to be resolved. I would assume the operators are generally pretty cautious right now. That ride last night though was how I imagined the system would and should operate.

Feel free to praise and criticize. We're reading and listening.

Well got on at the gardens and took it to automobile alley to eat at hideway. Got on 5:15 and packed. I'm sure there were more than 100 people or whatever capacity was. Hideway was 30 minute wait so just went to bar to eat. Asked the bartender if this was normal for Saturday night. She said not really a little busier than normal. Meal done 6:20ish time to head to Thunder game. Walked over to law school and just missed it. Next train 10 minutes so me and another couple set the timer. It ended up being 19 minutes. It got there and she wasn't letting anyone one she said it was too full although it didn't look nearly has full as the one I took earlier. She said next train 4 minutes. Well that was more 10 minutes. It was full but there was elbow room. Everyone had on thunder gear. I assumed everybody was getting off at Cox center however only about 6 of us didn't. Don't know if they new it was a short walk or they just wanted to ride it all the way to arena. Over all not a bad experience. Once it calms down it will be really nice to ride and try new places to eat before thunder games.

Rode again today this afternoon. Took the family. It was cool to have my kid (only 3) get to take part in OKC history. I wonder what sort of importance this will have in the story of this city 50 years from now.

I hope that with all the stuff going on downtown in December, rates can be greatly reduced or free to encourage folks to come downtown. Imagine the possibilities for the arts festival potentially being able to be spread all over downtown and midtown with free trolleys to get folks around. Maybe there'll be a corporate partner or maybe downtown vendors can pay a bit more to subsidize the operating costs during those periods to encourage folks to come out.

Not to cheap the system or anything but what would be keeping someone for buying a day pass and then 5pm when they are leaving they hand the pass off to someone going to a game or out to dinner as they head home?

Not to cheap the system or anything but what would be keeping someone for buying a day pass and then 5pm when they are leaving they hand the pass off to someone going to a game or out to dinner as they head home?

Nothing. I routinely do that in Denver because the price for a day pass to/from the airport is the same as a one-way fare. I’ll buy the day pass and if I don’t need the return trip within the time window I’ll put the ticket in the credit card slot of a fare machine.

I rode the streetcar last night. First, congrats to everyone who put it together. What an accomplishment. The design, organization, etc was all top notch. I absolutely felt like OKC has taken another huge step. Second, it was absolutely packed. We got on at the North Hudson stop. There were so many people on board that a couple streetcars couldn’t take any more riders. And there were about 30 people waiting at the stop. So, the ride was uncomfortably packed, but everyone was enjoying themselves. Third, there’s a lot of wrinkles to iron out. For example, I spent 30 minutes searching for the hours of operation this morning without success (I found it later). Since my understanding was that it runs on Sundays, I made my way over to the Bricktown stop and waited. The monitor said a car would be here in eight minutes and it’s now been 20 minutes and the time hasn’t changed and no cars have shown up. That’s pretty bad. Maybe the streetcar starts late on Sundays, but the monitor should be accurate.

Update: As I’m typing this the monitor just went down. A couple minutes later it updated by saying there is “No Service.” A guy came by he then explained he had to reboot the monitors and that service started at 11am. Bummer. I was hoping to ride this morning before I head to head out of town.

15069

Nothing. I routinely do that in Denver because the price for a day pass to/from the airport is the same as a one-way fare. I’ll buy the day pass and if I don’t need the return trip within the time window I’ll put the ticket in the credit card slot of a fare machine.

I think it’s cool when people do this. Overall it doesn’t happen enough to impact the money generated but it surely makes some people’s day. I was in Dallas a few years ago going to their aquarium. You had to pay for parking which I was more than willing to do. As I’m driving around with my window down looking for a spot a couple hollers and says do you want this spot? It was close to the front so I said sure thanks. As I pull in he walks up to the car and hands me the stub so I didn’t have to pay. This wasn’t a pay by plate lot so it worked out just fine. Really made my day and restores faith in humanity IMO.

I was able to jump on the first loop of the day. Lots of people riding, but not packed like yesterday. I had great conversations with several people, which is why I love public transportation. I think I convinced an older couple to move downtown. Lol.

One question: Do the streetcars have to take turns extremely slow?

I think it’s cool when people do this. Overall it doesn’t happen enough to impact the money generated but it surely makes some people’s day. I was in Dallas a few years ago going to their aquarium. You had to pay for parking which I was more than willing to do. As I’m driving around with my window down looking for a spot a couple hollers and says do you want this spot? It was close to the front so I said sure thanks. As I pull in he walks up to the car and hands me the stub so I didn’t have to pay. This wasn’t a pay by plate lot so it worked out just fine. Really made my day and restores faith in humanity IMO.

In NYC people will put unexpired fare cards on top of the fare machine. You’ll notice if you watch about every 10th (or so) person will check the top before they buy a ticket.

One question: Do the streetcars have to take turns extremely slow?

I'm optimistic that things will speed up soon. I hope they're just keeping it slow because of all of the folks who are inexperienced with public transportation would be falling all over the place.

One question: Do the streetcars have to take turns extremely slow?

Turns are made 5 - 7 mph.

I'm optimistic that things will speed up soon. I hope they're just keeping it slow because of all of the folks who are inexperienced with public transportation would be falling all over the place.
Also pedestrians aren’t really used to having to look for a train before they cross.

There’s a lot of reasons it’s running slow right now but it’ll get better with practice

Also pedestrians aren’t really used to having to look for a train before they cross.


They're pretty hard to miss.

I wish the app was like Uber and would show you exactly where the street car was. For as small as our downtown is, it definitely was not more convenient.



Ultimately I think this will get integrated into Google Maps. It works for every city I've ever visited. Even now, if you look click on OKC bus stops in Google Maps it provides real-time arrival and bus location information. I'm sure its just a matter of time for the street car - I just don't know Google's update cadence.

Curious to see how this works during work hours. If its slow at lunch riders may skip it yet it could also slow down car traffic and frustrate them. On the other hand it may go smoothly and force people to want to use it. This will be an important week since most poeple are not on PTO yet so early week will tell the tale. Once we get to later week then more tourists are likely to be downtown in daytime.

For me I’m not in an area that has it yet I drive to Bricktown for lunch often. I am worried it will increase my transit time by car so we’ll see how it goes.

They're pretty hard to miss.

Pedestrians? I almost got a couple the other day.

Urban Pioneer - Has Embark/another group been tracking ridership over the first weekend compared to estimated initial ridership and against the estimated typical ridership?

The amount of riders exceeded what I thought it would be but I'm curious how it compared to your expectations and the expectations of others in the know (I thought it would tale off a bit between like 8:30 and 10 on Friday night but the cars seemed to be completely full late into Friday n ight).

Also curious how much busier the opening weekend was compared to the expected typical ridership - obviously it was significantly busier and from the few times I rode the number of people (and a lot of people who understandably didn't seem to have ridden public transit before and weren't aware of how to make the process go quicker) seemed to be the primary reason for the slower than ideal service.

All-in-all we had a great experience! Looking forward to the service getting a bit faster and more consistent but we can't wait to use the streetcar as much as possible.

It didn't seem like signal prioritization was in place, which I suspect is a contributor to many of the delays we all experienced.

I rode in to work this morning on the streetcar. There were 3 folks on it when I got on at the Saint Anthony's stop, and two more hopped on before I got off at Leadership square. A much different experience to be on an empty streetcar, especially after riding it this weekend when it was at 100% capacity! Also it was faster, as the streetcar skipped stops where no one was waiting and no one requested a stop.

But it is noticeable how much time is wasted at traffic lights. This system NEEDS more intersection prioritization. I know there is some built in at key intersections, but the 10 seconds at 11th and Dewey, the 15 seconds at 10th and Hudson (after already stopping at the streetcar stop!), the 30 seconds at 6th and Hudson (even though the streetcar did not stop at the Memorial stop), these all add up to significant slower riding experience.

While the posters here probably disproportionately represent civic-oriented people, I am also curious about the response from the general populace. What has the feedback been, especially regarding some of the complaints noted here? I've been browsing Twitter (OKC dominates even a simple search of "streetcar") and there have been some really nice sentiments expressed about what it means for the city that are worth passing along.

https://twitter.com/GregLast/status/1074415682899640320

About to make the loop around Midtown and everyone at the @OKCStreetcar stop is talking about OKC. Some of it is about how cool the streetcar is, but it’s mostly about how cool OKC is. People falling in love with where they live.

https://twitter.com/johnpostic/status/1074158237509931008

Geeking out so hard about @OKCStreetcar . You can now ride a legit STREETCAR from the 2018 Best New Restaurant in AMERICA to an NBA basketball game IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY. This is a big league town, people. And it only gets better from here.

https://twitter.com/davidfholt/status/1074185638725996544

Still busy after midnight on ⁦@OKCStreetcar⁩...

https://twitter.com/bwerkman/status/1074191599612116992

Tonight in @AutoAlleyOKC we exited the streetcar stop. What we saw was incredible. Huge @RideOKC group was having a blast touring Christmas lights. Scooters everywhere, music in the air, shops and restaurants open. This 30 square block area has all the potential in the world!

https://twitter.com/Jess_Wedel/status/1073973065535623174

Last night I was feeling lonely and a little lost so I walked & streetcar-d around & at one point a woman named Blair started talking to me about all the things she’s excited about (art, new buildings, light) I walked back home a little warmer. Thank you Blair, whoever you are.

My experience was like most in this thread. Packed cars and slow times. But no one was complaining, because everyone understood the system was literally in the first weekend and people were just trying everything out.

One thing I noticed is, it seemed a lot of people were just riding it around as if it was an attraction, rather than using it to get somewhere. You could tell because there would be families posted up in the seats looking very comfortable. I rode several times and each time hardly anyone got off at any stop, we just kept cramming more people on. So these types of scenarios will become fewer as the system ages over the next few weeks and all the people using it as an "entertainment ride" will go by the wayside. One operator I had, was driving incredibly slow and the next was driving way more aggressively and was actually mashing down the streetcar's horn to get slow cars/pedestrians out of the path. The latter was much more interesting as it seemed to put a priority on the streetcar as opposed to the passive crawl the operator before was doing.

Just some comments and questions:
-Does anyone know why most (all?) of the stops have that yellow construction netting on the railings?
-The estimated arrival time seems buggy, I think a GPS display of a car on a map would be better, especially for the areas where you can walk a city block and catch a streetcar on the way back down/up.
-Some of the volunteers on the streetcars did not know how to answer basic questions people had. For instance, which stop is best to access St Anthony Hospital.
-The green busroute being displayed on the streetcar map was confusing every single person. I understand the association attempt, but the execution seems poor and there is a clear mental separation of people who want to use the streetcar versus people who want to get on a bus.
-On one of the streetcars, the audio announcements were not aligned with what was actually occurring. We were well on our way down the street when it was saying to stand clear of the doors while they were closing so the streetcar could depart the stop.

I spent a lot of hours on the streetcar on Friday and Saturday - First of all as others have said, all those that impacted this project over the last 9 years should be highly commended. Even though the cars were packed all weekend, for the most part everyone seemed very excited. A few thoughts I had during the day were:

1) UP - can you remind me what the signal prioritization was supposed to be? I think we need it across the entire route.. It seems the speed of route issues would be much much better if the lights were green when the streetcar arrives at the intersection. Many times, we would slowly leave a platform, only to stop at the next two stoplights on 10th street. It could take 5-7 minutes to go from midtown to the Robinson turn. I think that reflected in other areas as well - but the car simply can't gain momentum. This could also help with timing/pacing as there were many times where the next car was 25 minutes away, which turned into 30 - then another one was right behind it running the same loop.

2) Most people standing would continue to just pile into the middle area instead of spreading to the upstairs ends. We made the crazy decision to have my sons stroller along with us and instead of just spreading into upper sections, people crammed at the door would just look at us like we were idiots at times. Just continued education that the middle area is primarily for accessible, bikes, strollers, etc would be helpful. Obviously the huge crowds played a part in this, but most of the time the aisle up top was empty.

3) Others have talked about this, but the fleet tracking timing was having a hard time keeping up - I'm sure it will get better. Same thing with the screens not working properly at times to show the next stop, or the audible announcement for next stop. Would LOVE for it to express a few top reasons to get off as well "Museum of Art, Civic Center, Library"/"Bricktown Canal, Bricktown Ballpark, Movie Theater". I believe KC has this added on.

4) Hoping over time that they will feel less sterile. Some mural wraps inside or more local info on the upper walls would be cool. Theme up the windows around the year with snowflakes, Thunder, etc. would be fun.

5) I have to say the drivers were very kind and always had a smile when switching out. Same with all the volunteers, hundreds of them. Everyone was doing an amazing job. Overall - the grand opening of the streetcars probably couldn't have gone much better. Hopefully this continues and ridership is strong so we can move forward to our next set of transit plans in OKC!

I spent a lot of hours on the streetcar on Friday and Saturday - First of all as others have said, all those that impacted this project over the last 9 years should be highly commended. Even though the cars were packed all weekend, for the most part everyone seemed very excited. A few thoughts I had during the day were:

1) UP - can you remind me what the signal prioritization was supposed to be? I think we need it across the entire route.. It seems the speed of route issues would be much much better if the lights were green when the streetcar arrives at the intersection. Many times, we would slowly leave a platform, only to stop at the next two stoplights on 10th street. It could take 5-7 minutes to go from midtown to the Robinson turn. I think that reflected in other areas as well - but the car simply can't gain momentum. This could also help with timing/pacing as there were many times where the next car was 25 minutes away, which turned into 30 - then another one was right behind it running the same loop.

2) Most people standing would continue to just pile into the middle area instead of spreading to the upstairs ends. We made the crazy decision to have my sons stroller along with us and instead of just spreading into upper sections, people crammed at the door would just look at us like we were idiots at times. Just continued education that the middle area is primarily for accessible, bikes, strollers, etc would be helpful. Obviously the huge crowds played a part in this, but most of the time the aisle up top was empty.

3) Others have talked about this, but the fleet tracking timing was having a hard time keeping up - I'm sure it will get better. Same thing with the screens not working properly at times to show the next stop, or the audible announcement for next stop. Would LOVE for it to express a few top reasons to get off as well "Museum of Art, Civic Center, Library"/"Bricktown Canal, Bricktown Ballpark, Movie Theater". I believe KC has this added on.

4) Hoping over time that they will feel less sterile. Some mural wraps inside or more local info on the upper walls would be cool. Theme up the windows around the year with snowflakes, Thunder, etc. would be fun.

5) I have to say the drivers were very kind and always had a smile when switching out. Same with all the volunteers, hundreds of them. Everyone was doing an amazing job. Overall - the grand opening of the streetcars probably couldn't have gone much better. Hopefully this continues and ridership is strong so we can move forward to our next set of transit plans in OKC!

Ya Oklahomans aren't going to be too familiar with basic protocol of public train systems. Then again it varies widely from a NYC subway to a train in Chicago. In a perfect utopia it would be like London Tubes.

As several others have noted, that stretch on 10th street really needs signal prioritization with so many stops and lights bunched together. I watched the streetcar crawl along 10th street, stopping at three stops and three lights. It probably wasn't much faster than walking along that stretch with so many stops.

Another short story. When I rode on Sunday, I talked with a family from Austin. They were blown away by the streetcar. They were curious what was happening in the Scissortail Park area. It's, by the way, bizarre as the streetcar passes through such a barren area, but how amazing will it be once everything is finished? Anyway, I explained what was coming and their mouths hit the floor. The kids literally were asking, why can't we have a streetcar in Austin? Can we come back? Obviously, it made quite an impression on out-of-town visitors. But, it really is a great way for visitors to see OKC.

It didn't seem like signal prioritization was in place, which I suspect is a contributor to many of the delays we all experienced.

Some random thoughts, not criticisms. I think think there are too many signal lights in succession which slows the train. Also the stops are fairly close to one another. The durato0n of the stop from doors opening to closing needs to be maybe no greater than 1m.

Curious how it will run this week, the initial buzz is over, it's not a weekend, just a normal Monday.

I had a wonderful time this weekend experiencing all the folks smilin and riding. As a kid I used to dream about downtown OKC one day becoming an active area and this weekend was the first time that dream seemed to become a reality. There were scores of scooters whizzing by, streetcars were absolutely jam packed with a diverse group of folks and there were pedestrians everywhere - even in areas that are usually 100% dead, like 7th and Robinson. Truly wonderful, and even non-civic minded folks were talking about how they can use it to park or eat in Midtown and ride to the game. Stoke level was very high to say the least. I'm very optimistic that this will be a game changer for folks who use it when they are going downtown for entertainment.

However - for any practical use during work or any time you'd need to be strict with your time, it's too slow and unreliable at this point. We need either more cars on the tracks or better signal prioritization - or both. Today, for example, I waited at a stop for around 15 minutes despite the screen saying 6, then we got stuck behind a bus that was unloading for about ten minutes, and then when we got to the "end of the line" at Scissortail park we had to wait there another couple of minutes. I know there are still kinks to be worked out, but if it doesn't speed up I have a hard time seeing the streetcar being a viable option for downtown employees.

Is there a plan in place to mitigate stoppages because of illegal parking, parking over the white line, etc?? I know that there are tow trucks on call, but so far trains have been stuck every day for at least a few minutes because of this problem. And when it comes to reliability, being stuck even for just a few minutes, if it happens often enough, will be enough to lower the level of trust that people need to have in the system to actually use it.

Also, right before Thunder games it might be worth looking into cutting bricktown off of the D line at EK Gaylord so that people can get off at the door of the arena without having to ride through bricktown first. Most people are probably smart enough to get off at the century center stop and walk through the Cox center, but some people may have trouble walking or not be willing to take the streetcar knowing they still have to walk a superblock after disembarking.

Anyway, not trying to complain, just offering some constructive criticism! I'm very pleased so far but I think it is crucial for times to speed up!

Curious how it will run this week, the initial buzz is over, it's not a weekend, just a normal Monday.

Still pretty busy with people today. I took it to lunch just to see how it runs during a “normal” day. Waited at Leadership for about 7 or 8 minutes when the screen said 3 minutes away. I could see the streetcar up Robinson, but it hit two red lights that slowed it down. Signal prioritization is definitely needed there.

Took about 10 minutes once I actually got on before I got to the ballpark stop when I got off, which isn’t so bad. People seem to be enjoying it so far, and most of the stops had a lot of people getting on. We seem to be enjoying the new toy, but I think they’ll have to get some of the delays cleaned up for it to be really useful.

I would think one thing to keep in mind the first few weeks is that it probably wasn't (and should not have been) designed for this level of traffic. If they had designed it for peak traffic and only peak traffic, it would have been way overbuilt and really destined for failure.

I was downtown for the game on Saturday, but did not ride the streetcar (hadn't planned on it). They were all full and the stops were packed as well. There was a lot of traffic for the game and that's always going to slow it down... but it does for all the cars as well. Only real total solution for that is to elevate or go underground.

Ultimately, I think provides another good option to the mix of cars, scooters, and just regular ole walking. I don't, and never did, see it as meant to be an "express" option at peak times. But it does take some cars off the core streets at peak times, reduces the need to park (or park twice) in the core during peak times, and, once the demand is balanced with the built capacity as novelty rides taper off, it will certainly offer an expedient way to mover around the core at most times. I imagine at that point, when it's running slow, it's running slow because every other option is running slow, too, like on Saturday night.

Obviously, suggestions of signal prioritization make a lot of sense. I just think we need to remember that when any system gets overloaded, even well built comprehensive ones in large cities, it's going to perform slower. Only If it has problems or isn't a viable (or at least a comparable option) during normal demand, would real changes need to be considered, imo.

Rode today for the first time, went to lunch and back. From CLR, I wanted to go to Nashbirds. I could have walked, but hey, the streetcar is free. Walked to the library stop, waited 5 minutes or so, caught the train. Exited Automobile Alley and walked over to the restaurant. To get back, we walked over to the Law School stop, got there minutes before the train, and exited at the convention center. Entire trip took about an hour and 10 minutes (that's including a half hour at the restaurant), so not bad, though we got pretty lucky with the trains getting there shortly after we arrived at each platform. A pretty cool experience, though honestly when it comes time to start paying, I can't see myself using this too often. Obviously it's specific to my work location, but because we built a loop instead of double tracking and sending cars both ways, most of the places I would want to go (say for lunch) would just be easier for me to walk to. I don't have time to ride all the way through bricktown just to get up to automobile alley or midtown, and while the walk over to the library wasn't too bad, if I hadn't lucked out with the timing, I could have added another 15 minutes to my trip easily if I had to wait on a car. HOWEVER I am still very excited for this and recognize that my need is not the be-all-end-all determinant for the success of this system. I also think once (hopefully) this is expanded, it will bring about a lot more options and obviously opportunities than just 'going somewhere for lunch.'

My main feedback would be (and I know this would be a gigantic pain) to re-do the coloring on the maps. Our street cars are pink, blue and green. The maps have a pink loop, a blue loop, and a green bus loop. I can see it being pretty confusing (and already witnessed this once in my trip today) to see a blue car coming along and think 'Oh, I want the pink loop, so I better wait for the next car.' Re-branding the maps, so to speak, would be an easy way to avoid this confusion. Pick different colors, or number them or something, so as to try to disassociate them with the colors of the actual cars themselves.

when I rode, I definitely heard novice riders complaining about signage and maps and confusion of various sorts. Definitely something Embark should look at and probably address.

Most other places I've been color their routes with the cars. I can see how that would be very confusing if you didn't know any better.

I'm on a streetcar now and my driver is faassst compared to others I've had. I'm timing this loop and I'll post split times later for anyone who is interested.

Edit: took me 51:33 starting at about 3:45. I have split times for how long I waited at each stop and the travel times between stops (with the exception of a few towards the end when I was having a conversation with some folks) in pdf if anyone wants them.

Encountered an issue today with the streetcar.

The Transit Hub (4th and Hudson area) has attracted a homeless man ever since the platform shelter was installed awhile back. For the most part he always seems to keep to himself. But, there were no streetcars running at that time.

That said, he is is now a constant presence at the platform and today had all the seats covered with his 'belongings.' He continually paces back and forth with a broom and appears to mostly be sweeping. However, about every 20 minutes he goes off into a rant. Usually directed at the sky or some non-existent individuals and he raises his voice loud enough it gets our attention inside our office.

A group of ladies was going to get on at that platform and decided not to because they felt uncomfortable with all his yelling (occasional profanities). They asked me where the nearest alternative platform was.

This is going to be a big issue if the city doesn't find a way to deal with it. That, and the homeless paying the $1 fare and then riding the streetcar literally all day long.

We encountered a homeless man on Friday night. We honestly couldn't care less if homeless are on the Streetcar as long as A.) they don't pester us B.) Don't panhandle, or, C.) Don't smell atrocious. Honestly, I'd apply those conditions on anyone - homeless or not. This individual just sat there quietly and kept to himself (which is 100% better than some of the drunk hipsters). The problem was, you could smell him at least 10' away and it was gag-worthy in the confines of the Streetcar. Like it or not, this will kill ridership on the Streetcar if not controlled.

I honestly don't know what ordinance could be used to keep the homeless broom guy away (other than some sort of disorderly conduct offense) or the smelly rider (other than enforcing a no sleeping ordinance - which was something he wasn't doing).

*Personally I don't care if some of you are put off by the fact I dared to point out that a small portion of the homeless population can be a nuisance. It's a reality and if the Streetcar gets a bad reputation, it's gonna be a money pit.

^

Those are fair points. People might not say anything and just quietly decide not to use it.

Most train stations in other cities are included as a fare zone. It is unlawful to be at a train platform without a valid fare or the intent on immediately purchasing one.

I know in L.A. when the first trains started running they had a lot of police on the platforms and on and off the cars.

They had to establish that everything was safe, otherwise people wouldn't use it. I'm sure they politely dealt with the issues that were described.

And it worked. Before long those trains were packed and the entire system has greatly expanded. I used it as much as I could and I know a lot of others who did as well.

Wow, that was fast. Literally all day this broom and obscenity wielding homeless guy has gone unabated at the Transit Streetcar Platform. 45-minutes after my post here and two officials are now on the platform "discussing" the situation with him.

Most train stations in other cities are included as a fare zone. It is unlawful to be at a train platform without a valid fare or the intent on immediately purchasing one.

This is a great idea!

And will need to have a way to require riders get off after 1 loop. Maybe put on ticket ride good for 1 loop only? Not sure how to handle all day pass though, if homeless buy one.

One tip for posters -- especially workers working downtown -- concerned with time "lost" while travelling via the streetcar instead of a car. While I know my rides on the A-Train/DART in DFW are a little longer than anything on the streetcar, I always plan what work I will complete while riding (although sometimes I use it as an opportunity for relaxation). I will usually identify an article I need to read, emails to respond to, or something similar. I just pull up whatever I need on my phone (or laptop) before heading out. This small amount of planning ensures that I don't feel like I am losing time while traveling and this is work that I couldn't have completed in a car (not that I have a car anymore). A benefit of public transporation is that someone else is focusing on the road for you so you can focus on what you choose. :)

Just an FYI, the streetcar platforms (or least the sheltered benches) are already established as a fare zone. It actually states such right on the window of the shelter along with all of the rules.

One tip for posters -- especially workers working downtown -- concerned with time "lost" while travelling via the streetcar instead of a car. While I know my rides on the A-Train/DART in DFW are a little longer than anything on the streetcar, I always plan what work I will complete while riding (although sometimes I use it as an opportunity for relaxation). I will usually identify an article I need to read, emails to respond to, or something similar. I just pull up whatever I need on my phone (or laptop) before heading out. This small amount of planning ensures that I don't feel like I am losing time while traveling and this is work that I couldn't have completed in a car (not that I have a car anymore). A benefit of public transporation is that someone else is focusing on the road for you so you can focus on what you choose. :)

The streetcar I was on had very limited seating, which necessitates keeping at least one hand securely holding on somewhere to not end up on the floor. So, working would be no guarantee.

Also, while certainly some people may 'commute' from say midtown to downtown, that is going to be a very small number of people. I'm guessing most downtowners will be going to lunch on the street car and maybe being shuffled from a parking lot to work. I'm not going to plan ahead for a 30 minute trip from my car to my office and I'm not going to take work with me to lunch and efficiency is definitely a priority when you only have a limited amount of time for lunch. Most downtowners I know either resort to bringing their lunch, dining within short walking distance or piling into one car and getting away from downtown to eat. But, that's just my experience.

https://twitter.com/OKCStreetcar/status/1074791808079708160?s=20

OKC Streetcar
@OKCStreetcar
·
1h
We’re ready to #ThunderUp tonight. Are you? Arrive in style to the game tonight and hop off at the Arena Platform. You can also catch us at the game tonight, ready to answer any streetcar questions you have.

I was at the Garage in Midtown on Saturday night and noticed a lot of people leaving before the Thunder game then hopping on the Streetcar for the ride down.

Super cool.

As several others have noted, that stretch on 10th street really needs signal prioritization with so many stops and lights bunched together. I watched the streetcar crawl along 10th street, stopping at three stops and three lights. It probably wasn't much faster than walking along that stretch with so many stops.

Another short story. When I rode on Sunday, I talked with a family from Austin. They were blown away by the streetcar. They were curious what was happening in the Scissortail Park area. It's, by the way, bizarre as the streetcar passes through such a barren area, but how amazing will it be once everything is finished? Anyway, I explained what was coming and their mouths hit the floor. The kids literally were asking, why can't we have a streetcar in Austin? Can we come back? Obviously, it made quite an impression on out-of-town visitors. But, it really is a great way for visitors to see OKC.

Austin would absolutely benefit from a streetcar. It would be an instant success there. My uncle lives there and he constantly bemoans their transit system, particularly as someone who relocated there after living in NYC for forty years.

Apparently their light rail system is not great either. It just dumps people out in front of their convention center in a rather barren area of downtown.

This was a forward-thinking move by OKC voters and we will be rewarded. Getting people on the streetcars and have them enjoy positive experiences will pay dividends for the bus system and any future transit expansion. People simply would not ride buses here for whatever reason. Ridership is up thanks to improved schedules and routes but there are so many people for whom riding the bus is perceived as something they would never do.

I can see that changing, and I can also see this positive development positively influencing future votes in OKC and Metro communities for RTA plans.

Got on at the Gardens and rode it to automobile alley. This was 5pm I want to say 10 min trip. Not many on Wait time was a little off said 8 minutes it was closer to 13 not bad. Went to nashbird did the 10 percent off deal and was very good. Got back on at automobile alley (6pm) that wait time was right. Took it to convention center it took 20 minutes. There were maybe 10 of us when I got on and about 50 of us by the time it got to convention center. Pretty Thunder heavy crowed at that point. Bricktown loop was not running at all though it was game night. Hope that changes. Even if it's just 5-7 on game night I would be ok with that.

I do think some of the stops are too close together but that not a bad thing as if you want to go north you can walk just a block or two or if you want to head south it's a short walk.

My family (wife and 2 month old son) and I rode it every day this weekend, with her family in town on Saturday for the Nutcracker.

I will start with Friday night. We parked at All About Cha to have coffee before catching the streetcar for the first time. When we first got on at the Melting Pot it wasn't terribly crowded, being 5:30ish. We had our son in the stroller and a guy moved allowing us to stand along the side in the middle. As we went through Bricktown I noticed the instructions talked of a 'yellow strip' but there were only blue 'STOP' buttons and the yellow stop buttons on the doors. This seemed to be very confusing for those around me. Anyways the train didn't get full until we hit the Myriad Gardens stop. And by full I mean we had people falling into our stroller and cramming themselves in the middle section of the train while the upstairs section had standing room.

If I had true complaint about the streetcar, it would be the lack of public transit etiquette in the general population that were riding the streetcars this weekend. I know this will work itself out as people get more used to how to properly stand on a moving train and understand that they can walk up the stairs to stand.

Anyways, we took the train up to Midtown for the Holiday Pop-Up Shops. Shopped for a little bit before heading over to Cultivar for supper. The mass of people waiting for the streetcar at the Midtown stop was quickly growing, so we decided to walk to Cultivar instead making the short trip to Law School and then walking. Which now reminded us of the fairly large elevation changes that exist in our downtown area, which the streetcar makes easy work of. After Cultivar it was a bit before 10pm and the streetcar was pretty full still getting on at the AA stop. Mind you we still had the stroller so we were awkwardly positioned at the base of the stairs, requiring us to shimmy around anytime someone needed to get off. Thankfully, the people sitting in the upstairs were just riding the streetcar for the ride and not actually getting off at any of the stops.

For both Saturday and Sunday we parked at Clarity Coffee and utilized the Library stop. Saturday was a tad busier than Sunday, though the streetcars were still fairly packed both days. I believe it was mentioned in a previous post, but I would like to bring it up as well. I think having some points of interest in the audio at stops would be helpful in getting people to better use the system. For instance, the biggest one that comes to mind is to get people to exit at Century Center and walk through the Cox center for Thunder games. I made a comment to one of the volunteers that was onboard as we neared the Century Center and she made shouted out the tip and probably 80% of the streetcar got off.

Which comes to another point, a lot of people don't really know Downtown OKC. I heard a lot of questions about the Business District, Century Center, and Scissortail Park stops. Most people around me had no clue what Century Center was, most people didn't know about the Scissortail park project, most were didn't understand why there was a big stop in the middle of nothing.

I really am excited to see how the system evolves. I would hope we move to having three loops, a Bricktown loop, a Downtown loop that cuts off Bricktown by going from Century Center to Arena via the rail in front of Sante Fe, and then an All stop loop. I really enjoyed seeing so many volunteers our working the system, it was nice to chat when waiting for the next streetcar.

Do we know how the fares will work? If I buy the $1 2 hour fare, does that mean I can only get on once within the 2 hour window or I can get on and off unlimited times during the 2 hours?

My family (wife and 2 month old son) and I rode it every day this weekend, with her family in town on Saturday for the Nutcracker.

I will start with Friday night. We parked at All About Cha to have coffee before catching the streetcar for the first time. When we first got on at the Melting Pot it wasn't terribly crowded, being 5:30ish. We had our son in the stroller and a guy moved allowing us to stand along the side in the middle. As we went through Bricktown I noticed the instructions talked of a 'yellow strip' but there were only blue 'STOP' buttons and the yellow stop buttons on the doors. This seemed to be very confusing for those around me. Anyways the train didn't get full until we hit the Myriad Gardens stop. And by full I mean we had people falling into our stroller and cramming themselves in the middle section of the train while the upstairs section had standing room.

If I had true complaint about the streetcar, it would be the lack of public transit etiquette in the general population that were riding the streetcars this weekend. I know this will work itself out as people get more used to how to properly stand on a moving train and understand that they can walk up the stairs to stand.

Anyways, we took the train up to Midtown for the Holiday Pop-Up Shops. Shopped for a little bit before heading over to Cultivar for supper. The mass of people waiting for the streetcar at the Midtown stop was quickly growing, so we decided to walk to Cultivar instead making the short trip to Law School and then walking. Which now reminded us of the fairly large elevation changes that exist in our downtown area, which the streetcar makes easy work of. After Cultivar it was a bit before 10pm and the streetcar was pretty full still getting on at the AA stop. Mind you we still had the stroller so we were awkwardly positioned at the base of the stairs, requiring us to shimmy around anytime someone needed to get off. Thankfully, the people sitting in the upstairs were just riding the streetcar for the ride and not actually getting off at any of the stops.

For both Saturday and Sunday we parked at Clarity Coffee and utilized the Library stop. Saturday was a tad busier than Sunday, though the streetcars were still fairly packed both days. I believe it was mentioned in a previous post, but I would like to bring it up as well. I think having some points of interest in the audio at stops would be helpful in getting people to better use the system. For instance, the biggest one that comes to mind is to get people to exit at Century Center and walk through the Cox center for Thunder games. I made a comment to one of the volunteers that was onboard as we neared the Century Center and she made shouted out the tip and probably 80% of the streetcar got off.

Which comes to another point, a lot of people don't really know Downtown OKC. I heard a lot of questions about the Business District, Century Center, and Scissortail Park stops. Most people around me had no clue what Century Center was, most people didn't know about the Scissortail park project, most were didn't understand why there was a big stop in the middle of nothing.

I really am excited to see how the system evolves. I would hope we move to having three loops, a Bricktown loop, a Downtown loop that cuts off Bricktown by going from Century Center to Arena via the rail in front of Sante Fe, and then an All stop loop. I really enjoyed seeing so many volunteers our working the system, it was nice to chat when waiting for the next streetcar.

Do we know how the fares will work? If I buy the $1 2 hour fare, does that mean I can only get on once within the 2 hour window or I can get on and off unlimited times during the 2 hours?

As I understand it is $1 per ride. $3 for unlimited on an off for a day.

Where do I go to read the arguments on the advantages of the street car vs. a Bus? I'm sure it has been addressed many times and I would like to read what has been said.