I really like the name too....

Better than the SLUT in Seattle. I know that's an acronym appointed by residents and not its official name, but still.

I'm pretty ambivalent about GOCART - it wouldn't be a bad name, and we could do much worse with acronyms and initialisms - but honestly, I really prefer the Embark name. Embark just sounds much more professional to me, and it's an already established brand. Additionally, as the largest transit agency of the RTA member cities, the rebranding effort would cost less if the smaller cities adopted the Embark brand as part of the RTA.

GOCART sounds like a kid's toy and not a serious solution, imhop.

How would AMTRAK operate under a regional municipal authority? The only way I can see that work is if you extended the RTA zone all the way down to Marrietta and get each city along the route to help subsidize service. The state would love that but that would be quite a burden for small towns.

They only part of Amtrak that would fall under a regional transportation authority would be the lease agreement at Santa Fe station and the schedule of any service expansion - but all transportation should fall under one organization that actually cares about non-automobile transit.

Better than the SLUT in Seattle. I know that's an acronym appointed by residents and not its official name, but still.

I would go to Seattle just to ride their SLUT, over and over again. I don't think you could get me off of their SLUT, as a matter of fact.

A sure way to get caught riding the SLUT would be to get stuck.

Better than the SLUT in Seattle. I know that's an acronym appointed by residents and not its official name, but still.

South Lake Union Trolley actually WAS the official name until the media highlighted the negative connotation of riding the SLUT. I think the substituted Streetcar for Trolley. ... But we all still call it the SLUT. A SLUT with lipstick on her is still a SLUT.

For those who are interested in getting involved.

http://www.acogok.org/acog-seeks-public-comment-on-transportation-plan-for-central-oklahoma/

http://journalrecord.com/2016/09/16/acog-eyes-10-billion-transit-plan-general-news/

10 Billion dollars investment into transit to 2040. I'm sure they will pump a fair amount into highways, but a good chunk should go to mass transit which could be good for commuter rail.

ACOG eyes $10 billion transit plan

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record September 16, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – The projected costs associated with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments’ next big undertaking gave Executive Director John Johnson pause.

“$10 billion was a bit of sticker shock for me,” Johnson said. “That’s a pretty significant investment in our transportation infrastructure. So I think it’s important that the public participates with feedback, and they understand there is a plan and what it contains.

“We want people to comment, complain, criticize, whatever, as we go forward with this,” he said.

ACOG recently posted a schedule of public forums on Encompass 2040, the draft plan for an Oklahoma City regional transportation study. The plan will serve as central Oklahoma’s guide for investing more than $10 billion in a multimodal transportation system through 2040. The meetings begin at 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at Capitol Hill Library in Oklahoma City and will run through October.

Johnson said his organization and its member municipalities are trying to get ahead of the residential and business projections for the metro area. Although people might be intimidated by a large cost for the system now, it will be far more expensive if civic leaders wait and react to population growth as it occurs.

A multimodal system must allow for pedestrian traffic, bicycles, rail, buses and streetcars, as well as seamless transitions between each – being able to load bicycles on buses, for example, or dedicating street lanes to high-occupancy vehicles.

The plan has been in the works for five years. Participants include the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, Cleveland Area Rapid Transit, the state Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.

The draft provides an outline of major projects, the largest of which will be street and highway maintenance at $5.2 billion. New street and highway construction will cost $2.5 billion, with public transportation systems next at $1.3 billion.

The smaller cost portions of the plan include $322 million for right-of-way property acquisition, $273 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects and $58 million for information technology system improvements.

Johnson said the ACOG group has already identified several probable sources of revenue for the work, such as Federal Highway Administration programs, turnpike revenue, public transportation revolving funds, fuel taxes returned to cities, bonded debt and dedicated sales taxes. Many of those options will require matching local funds.

“We can’t put a list of projects in the plan unless there is a reasonable way to ascertain where that money is going to come from,” he said.

ACOG’s Intermodal Transportation Policy Committee will consider final adoption of Encompass 2040 on Oct. 27.

Reading through the draft plan summary posted on the ACOG site, it seems like their main focus is on streets and highways; items like the RTA and commuter rail only get a brief mention as an "illustrative project" because of the current lack of funding for implementation. I know the RTA task force is working towards creating the RTA, but they haven't even come to an agreement on boundaries for the transit district - much less getting a public vote on funding the RTA on the schedule. Based on the task force's meeting minutes, it sounds like that vote likely won't come until after the 2018 general election.

In short, much to my dismay, it doesn't sound like that this is really a priority for ACOG, unfortunately.

i got the same feeling, more than half of the cost is for highway and street maintenance??? Isn't there already supposed to be funding and oversight mechanisms for streets and highways? I thought ACOGS regional transit district was to develop Transit within the district not add (or better yet provide) funding for already existing infrastructure.

Appears to be the typical bait and switch action Oklahoman's are used to, bait us with (hey - here is a Commuter Rail study that will take 10+ years to implement; then in the REAL study it's mostly about improving existing roads with a mere mention of Transit and most of that being the Existing Bus system)....

I was hoping/expecting the RTD to come back with a pure transit plan that consisted of $1B for the North-South Commuter Rail (effectively Guthrie/Edmond to Downtown to Norman/Purcell: all stations and rail enhancement/additions and trainsets included), $500M for the E-W Commuter Rail (effectively Shawnee or Choctaw/Harrah to MWC and Tinker to Downtown), $500M for immediate expansion of the existing Embark bus network (including purchases of new hybrid and electric trolley buses), $300M for Embark Commuter Bus Routes (connecting downtown OKC and one or two other major OKC nodes with the major suburbs), maybe $250M for CART and 'other' transit agencies to expand their networks, $200M for Streetcar expansions (downtown districts and the inner city expansions AND new lines at Norman/OU, Edmond/UCO, and maybe WRWA), $200M for Transit Centers across the region, $150M for dedicated HOV in the inner core area of OKC, $100M for transit shelters, $100M for the M&O yard, $100M+ for the downtown METRO station/expansion and bringing Greyhound back, and $50M for the Ops Center.

This $3.5B RTD plan I mention above was my expectation of ACOG, not their so called $10B plan with a slush fund 'guess' of $5.6B in improvements to existing highway/road and only $1B in transit (in total). ....

ODOT's entire annual budget for highways is far less than ACOGs plan so it seems as though ODOT wants ACOG to pay for its mission in the disguise of 'OKC regional transit'.

i got the same feeling, more than half of the cost is for highway and street maintenance??? Isn't there already supposed to be funding and oversight mechanisms for streets and highways? I thought ACOGS regional transit district was to develop Transit within the district not add (or better yet provide) funding for already existing infrastructure.

Appears to be the typical bait and switch action Oklahoman's are used to, bait us with (hey - here is a Commuter Rail study that will take 10+ years to implement; then in the REAL study it's mostly about improving existing roads with a mere mention of Transit and most of that being the Existing Bus system)....

I was hoping/expecting the RTD to come back with a pure transit plan that consisted of $1B for the North-South Commuter Rail (effectively Guthrie/Edmond to Downtown to Norman/Purcell: all stations and rail enhancement/additions and trainsets included), $500M for the E-W Commuter Rail (effectively Shawnee or Choctaw/Harrah to MWC and Tinker to Downtown), $500M for immediate expansion of the existing Embark bus network (including purchases of new hybrid and electric trolley buses), $300M for Embark Commuter Bus Routes (connecting downtown OKC and one or two other major OKC nodes with the major suburbs), maybe $250M for CART and 'other' transit agencies to expand their networks, $200M for Streetcar expansions (downtown districts and the inner city expansions AND new lines at Norman/OU, Edmond/UCO, and maybe WRWA), $200M for Transit Centers across the region, $150M for dedicated HOV in the inner core area of OKC, $100M for transit shelters, $100M for the M&O yard, $100M+ for the downtown METRO station/expansion and bringing Greyhound back, and $50M for the Ops Center.

This $3.5B RTD plan I mention above was my expectation of ACOG, not their so called $10B plan with a slush fund 'guess' of $5.6B in improvements to existing highway/road and only $1B in transit (in total). ....

ODOT's entire annual budget for highways is far less than ACOGs plan so it seems as though ODOT wants ACOG to pay for its mission in the disguise of 'OKC regional transit'.

ACOG is an MPO(Metropolitan Planning Organization) for the OKC Metro and MPO's serve every mode of transit. They help fund highway construction in addition to ODOT which can get new projects going that otherwise would not happen without ACOG. Same thing with Metro in Los Angeles that is help funding I-5 north and south improvements in LA County.

our MPO (or Regional Transit District) in Seattle area is not concerned with anything but Transit.

See SoundTransit.

I believe Denver's RTD is similar (transit only).

our MPO (or Regional Transit District) in Seattle area is not concerned with anything but Transit.

See SoundTransit.

I believe Denver's RTD is similar (transit only).

Yes Denver RTD focuses only on improvements to transit. If they touch a roadway it is either for bus stop enhancements or railway crossings.

same thing for Seattle area's Sound Transit. It's transit, while the WSDOT does the HOV, highways, and vehicle stuff.

I think OKC's RTD should model its after Seattle or Denver, leave the highways and roads to ODOT and OKCDOT to manage (and fund).

Keep in mind that the focus on transit will be the job of the RTA that is still in the planning stages. ACOG is not, nor was it ever intended to be, a transit-only agency, which is why they are assisting in road projects - among many other things.

while I agree with you on the mission of ACOG, it appears to be somewhat of a disconnect between their recently announced plan for transit vs. their mission as an organization.

the article sounds like the RTD has been developed (but not yet named) according to the phrasing "A multimodal system must allow for pedestrian traffic, bicycles, rail, buses and streetcars, as well as seamless transitions between each – being able to load bicycles on buses, for example, or dedicating street lanes to high-occupancy vehicles" but then this is contradicted by the multimodal component receiving only 13% of the projected funding.

Again, this 10B figure appears to mostly be the mission of participants of this study (ODOT, Turnpike Authority, and the FHA; and much less so the Transit Agencies (COTPA/EMBARK, CART, and FTA). I would think a multi-modal system would be focused as such while existing roads and highways (more than half of the ACOG projects) would be the focus of ODOT and FHA.

In other words, why is ACOG looking to fund ODOT projects when ODOT has funding sources (and a mission) already? I would think ACOG would only look to coordinate/cooperate with ODOT to ensure transit needs would be met or could be easily implemented.

appears to be scope creep already. ...

Keep in mind the RTD will have its own funding, just like ODOT has its own.

ACOG is essentially a tool for central Oklahoma governments to be involved with shared plans, visions, and conversations. ACOG pushed the RTD forward and that RTD will have its own funding. Some of those funds may come from ACOG.

Is there any update on this?

Not that it's worth much, but out of all my friends (mostly in Norman) who don't pay much attention to development/etc., this is the one thing by far that they cite the most that they wish we had. Anecdotally demand seems high, at least among my peer group.

I see why. This seems like it would be very popular for a wide range of people.

According to ACOG numbers 50% of the working population of Cleveland county commutes to Oklahoma county daily for work.

Not that it's worth much, but out of all my friends (mostly in Norman) who don't pay much attention to development/etc., this is the one thing by far that they cite the most that they wish we had. Anecdotally demand seems high, at least among my peer group.

I echo this statement. When I tell people about the Streetcar, they don't understand it. But they always bring up the commuter train immediately thereafter.

Here's a quick review of where we've been, where we are and where we're headed:

Beginning in 2005, OKC and other metro area cities have been working with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) toward the goal of developing a regional transit system, including commuter rail.

Regional Transit System (http://www.acogok.org/transportation-planning/regional-transit/)

In 2014, ACOG completed the Commuter Corridors Study, which recommended Commuter Rail between OKC, Norman and Edmond.

Commuter Corridors Study Executive Summary (http://www.acogok.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Central-OK-GO_Executive-Summary_FINAL-for-PRINT.pdf)

In 2015, the mayors and city councils of OKC, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City approved a memorandum of understanding to create a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Task Force.

Mayor's Vow Cooperation for Regional Transit (http://newsok.com/article/5464097)

That task force, which is made up of mayors and council members from the participating cities, has been meeting regularly at ACOG and working toward the goal of creating an RTA.

RTA Task Force (http://www.acogok.org/transportation-planning/transportation-committees/regional-transit-authority-task-force/)

The next steps are the most critical and include creation and approval of a new RTA by the participating cities, followed at some point by a referendum vote on a permanent dedicated transit system funding source. The goal is to create the RTA within the next two years, followed by a vote on a dedicated funding source within the next three to five years.

Once a funding source is in place and the new RTA in operation, development of the various components of the regional transit system will begin, including commuter rail service. Rapid development of an expanded metro-wide bus system would occur in the first few years, with initial commuter rail service commencing several years after that due to the additional infrastructure development needed for that service.

While we're still a number of years away from having a comprehensive regional transit system, including commuter rail, the good news is we're well on our way to getting there.

You can keep up with all of the past and current news as we continue toward our goal at the OnTrac website:

OnTrac (http://www.ontracok.org/)

Will the commuter rail run under Embark or or will it get its own name like Metrolink?

Also, do you know if they will be using sheriffs department for police like Metro does or will they use their own police like Dart?

Will the commuter rail run under Embark or or will it get its own name like Metrolink?

Also, do you know if they will be using sheriffs department for police like Metro does or will they use their own police like Dart?

I think details like that are way too refined for the current phase. Given that the completed system will span different counties as well as different municipalities I would venture a guess that transit police will need to be independent of current police. I would also bet that the newly formed transit agency will either absorb Embark (or Embark morph into the larger agency).

I'm totally new to this so it's probably obvious, but why isn't west OKC included in the scope? Yukon and Mustang are booming with people who frequent downtown.

I'm totally new to this so it's probably obvious, but why isn't west OKC included in the scope? Yukon and Mustang are booming with people who frequent downtown.

UP or Hutch can correct me, but it was my understanding when I was following this much closer that Yukon and Mustang were both invited to the table but declined as they did not see value in a regional public transportation system.

Here's a quick review of where we've been, where we are and where we're headed:

Beginning in 2005, OKC and other metro area cities have been working with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) toward the goal of developing a regional transit system, including commuter rail.

Regional Transit System (http://www.acogok.org/transportation-planning/regional-transit/)

In 2014, ACOG completed the Commuter Corridors Study, which recommended Commuter Rail between OKC, Norman and Edmond.

Commuter Corridors Study Executive Summary (http://www.acogok.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Central-OK-GO_Executive-Summary_FINAL-for-PRINT.pdf)

In 2015, the mayors and city councils of OKC, Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City approved a memorandum of understanding to create a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Task Force.

Mayor's Vow Cooperation for Regional Transit (http://newsok.com/article/5464097)

That task force, which is made up of mayors and council members from the participating cities, has been meeting regularly at ACOG and working toward the goal of creating an RTA.

RTA Task Force (http://www.acogok.org/transportation-planning/transportation-committees/regional-transit-authority-task-force/)

The next steps are the most critical and include creation and approval of a new RTA by the participating cities, followed at some point by a referendum vote on a permanent dedicated transit system funding source. The goal is to create the RTA within the next two years, followed by a vote on a dedicated funding source within the next three to five years.

Once a funding source is in place and the new RTA in operation, development of the various components of the regional transit system will begin, including commuter rail service. Rapid development of an expanded metro-wide bus system would occur in the first few years, with initial commuter rail service commencing several years after that due to the additional infrastructure development needed for that service.

While we're still a number of years away from having a comprehensive regional transit system, including commuter rail, the good news is we're well on our way to getting there.

You can keep up with all of the past and current news as we continue toward our goal at the OnTrac website:

OnTrac (http://www.ontracok.org/)

This post should be made a sticky. Lots of good info that might get buried since it's post 386. :)

UP or Hutch can correct me, but it was my understanding when I was following this much closer that Yukon and Mustang were both invited to the table but declined as they did not see value in a regional public transportation system.

Regional transit discussions among the various OKC metro area municipalities began in 2009 with ACOG's "Regional Transit Dialogue" and continued in 2012 with RTD II. Those efforts brought together officials from the various cities to begin discussions on a wide range of regional transit planning issues. Yukon and Mustang were included, however they did not participate to the same degree as the other municipalities. I'm not sure of the reason. West OKC, including the Yukon/Mustang area, are included in the original 2005 Fixed Guideway Study, which provided the first regional transit system plan. Under that plan, west OKC and the Yukon/Mustang area were to be initially serviced by Express Bus and/or Bus Rapid Transit, as opposed to Commuter Rail service that was proposed for Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City. The lack of participation by Yukon/Mustang could have been a result of a lack of excitement due the fact they were not initially getting rail transit service. Or, it could have been due to an overall general lack of enthusiasm for transit.

When the Commuter Corridors study was undertaken in 2013, it focused on the three major rail transit corridors already identified in the Fixed Guideway Study. The fact that the West OKC/Mustang/Yukon area was not part of that study does not mean that area will not be considered for Commuter Rail service at some point in the future. Due to the rapidly growing population density in those areas, it's likely that once Commuter Rail service is in operation for the initial primary corridors that it will be expanded to serve the West OKC/Mustang/Yukon area. In fact, the final approved Intermodal Hub Study Master Plan for Santa Fe Station includes the ability to expand the facility under Phase 3 to allow for additional Commuter Rail service to West OKC/Mustang/Yukon.

Regional transit discussions among the various OKC metro area municipalities began in 2009 with ACOG's "Regional Transit Dialogue" and continued in 2012 with RTD II. Those efforts brought together officials from the various cities to begin discussions on a wide range of regional transit planning issues. Yukon and Mustang were included, however they did not participate to the same degree as the other municipalities. I'm not sure of the reason. West OKC, including the Yukon/Mustang area, are included in the original 2005 Fixed Guideway Study, which provided the first regional transit system plan. Under that plan, west OKC and the Yukon/Mustang area were to be initially serviced by Express Bus and/or Bus Rapid Transit, as opposed to Commuter Rail service that was proposed for Norman, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City and Del City. The lack of participation by Yukon/Mustang could have been a result of a lack of excitement due the fact they were not initially getting rail transit service. Or, it could have been due to an overall general lack of enthusiasm for transit.

When the Commuter Corridors study was undertaken in 2013, it focused on the three major rail transit corridors already identified in the Fixed Guideway Study. The fact that the West OKC/Mustang/Yukon area was not part of that study does not mean that area will not be considered for Commuter Rail service at some point in the future. Due to the rapidly growing population density in those areas, it's likely that once Commuter Rail service is in operation for the initial primary corridors that it will be expanded to serve the West OKC/Mustang/Yukon area. In fact, the final approved Intermodal Hub Study Master Plan for Santa Fe Station includes the ability to expand the facility under Phase 3 to allow for additional Commuter Rail service to West OKC/Mustang/Yukon.

Thanks for the info! Ya I was disappointed at first to hear that Yukon/Mustang leadership didn't see value in the commuter rail. But it makes sense if the initial study didn't recommend them to be a part of the rail line. There are a ton of millenials, among others that frequent downtown, that I think would definitely get on board with taking the rail.

The faster we get on making this happen, the more viable that stupid downtown trolley will be. Detroit is a good example of how a limited line like that it a total waste of time if it doesn't immediately expand to be an actual commuter line.

Next thing they need to do is figure out a way that a pass would be interchangeable between bus/rail. Another example Detroit shows is that when there are two different (and disconnected) systems, people just dont use it. Need to make it easy. Embark has to know this will decrease their ridership, so if they're smart, they'll get on the bandwagon and adjust routes to ADD benefit, not compete against.

that stupid downtown trolley

???

not a streetcar fan obvs (which is his prerogative)

(or perhaps a streetcar fan but not a fan of our route, in which case I'm in the latter boat as well)

(or perhaps a streetcar fan but not a fan of our route, in which case I'm in the latter boat as well)

I'm in this category as well.

For the record I think our route would have been great for a phase 2. For phase 1 I would have done a straight line up Walker from SW 25th to NW 23rd. That's 4 miles of track but immediately useful to neighborhoods. We could have done another 3 miles perpendicular on Sheridan or something to reach Bricktown/Santa Fe in Phase 1, and then closed up the loop in Phase 2. But what's done is done and I'm on board. Pun intended.

Perhaps the straight shot up Walker could be Phase 2? They've got to figure out a way to get it to Capitol Hill, 23rd St, and the HSC campus.

Either Walker or Robinson, the latter of which potentially helps Hubcap Alley activate.

For the record I think our route would have been great for a phase 2. For phase 1 I would have done a straight line up Walker from SW 25th to NW 23rd. That's 4 miles of track but immediately useful to neighborhoods. We could have done another 3 miles perpendicular on Sheridan or something to reach Bricktown/Santa Fe in Phase 1, and then closed up the loop in Phase 2. But what's done is done and I'm on board. Pun intended.

You 23rd to south 25th. Would be 8 miles of track (would have to be double tracked). And 3 miles on Sheridan would be 6 track miles.

So 14. Way way more than our entire started system

I was going by the 7 mile number I keep hearing, didn't think about the double track thing.

The streetcar will be a failure if we don't get an RTA going and expand the system...it's just that simple.

That being said, given the overall unwalkability of the expanse that is downtown, this route, I believe, most aids our goals in our most urban area. Using miles of track to sledge through HH/MP to get to 23rd or to the Plaza to connect "urban centers" would have resulted an even less functional initial system, because OKC is still working on creating its first convincing urban center, and the Plaza will likely never be that, and 23rd is probably a decade away.

The reality is that 23rd/Capitol Hill/The Plaza are not destinations worthy of connecting to downtown in and of themselves. They're destinations worthy of service from a much more comprehensive and MUCH more expensive system, yes...but at that point, we're really throwing in a dozen different destinations to the overall plan and talking about making our city more connected and passing a measure to provide the funding necessary.

I think there are two edges to that sword (so I don't disagree with you fundamentally). However, if we don't get the ridership, the streetcar could also be seen as a failure. If you connect neighborhoods to work centers you get ridership, and that's the angle I was taking.

I agree with Teo. I have some objections to the streetcar from the perspective of where it places our transit priorities (i.e., it's not clear that the streetcar really *helps* the most vulnerable among us that rely on public transit for their livelihoods, but it's also not clear, as I think Teo's post points to, that connecting to Plaza or 23rd or Capital Hill fixes that issue). But if you're going to build a streetcar as an initial investment in extending the *idea* of public transit to a larger percentage of the populace, Midtown/CDB/Bricktown is the best place to do it because it's the only place where you ever have a chance of getting dense enough development (especially housing) to show people *how* an urban center can work. Plaza/23rd/Cap Hill are cool but they're fundamentally "suburban" in the sense that they're dominated by single family homes on decent-sized lots (with a few exceptions here and there).

I agree with Teo. I have some objections to the streetcar from the perspective of where it places our transit priorities (i.e., it's not clear that the streetcar really *helps* the most vulnerable among us that rely on public transit for their livelihoods, but it's also not clear, as I think Teo's post points to, that connecting to Plaza or 23rd or Capital Hill fixes that issue). But if you're going to build a streetcar as an initial investment in extending the *idea* of public transit to a larger percentage of the populace, Midtown/CDB/Bricktown is the best place to do it because it's the only place where you ever have a chance of getting dense enough development (especially housing) to show people *how* an urban center can work. Plaza/23rd/Cap Hill are cool but they're fundamentally "suburban" in the sense that they're dominated by single family homes on decent-sized lots (with a few exceptions here and there).

Yeah, the streetcar isn't designed to help the poor people.

This streetcar is designed to get suburban Okies who have money to come downtown and ride around and become comfortable with the idea of mass transit. Also to get some of them to consider moving downtown and experiencing a different lifestyle than they are used to. Joe Bob Johnson from Tuttle is going to suspiciously get on the streetcar, and he's going to look around at everybody, waiting to get mugged. When he rides it a bit, and figures out that he can park his car at Bass Pro and then ride around to all the cool stuff downtown, he'll like it more. He's heard that Fassler Hall has lots of beer, and sausage made out of different animals. He wants to try that. And then he can ride the streetcar back to the Thunder game, and then ride it again back to his car.

The streetcar at its current size may not be too much more than a novelty. I don't know that we'll get enough ridership outside of special events to really keep it full. But once everyone is used to the idea, extending it again to hit 23rd street, or to go down into Capitol Hill, and you can start increasing the number of passengers pretty quickly. It's really in a "proof of concept" stage right now. You got to get people used to the idea first.

The streetcar will be a failure if we don't get an RTA going and expand the system...it's just that simple.

That being said, given the overall unwalkability of the expanse that is downtown, this route, I believe, most aids our goals in our most urban area. Using miles of track to sledge through HH/MP to get to 23rd or to the Plaza to connect "urban centers" would have resulted an even less functional initial system, because OKC is still working on creating its first convincing urban center, and the Plaza will likely never be that, and 23rd is probably a decade away.

The reality is that 23rd/Capitol Hill/The Plaza are not destinations worthy of connecting to downtown in and of themselves. They're destinations worthy of service from a much more comprehensive and MUCH more expensive system, yes...but at that point, we're really throwing in a dozen different destinations to the overall plan and talking about making our city more connected and passing a measure to provide the funding necessary.

The streetcar can be a success without the RTA, it would just require expanding it into the appropriate areas. Go down Robinson to SW 25th, then over to Western and back up, and you will get the Capitol Hill area and the Wheeler District. It will also go by the Farmer's Market area and the western edge of Strawberry Fields. Now, it may take 15 to 20 years before Wheeler and Strawberry Fields have any real density of residents, but it will take at least 10 before we get an expansion going anyway. If we're putting tracks in the ground for Phase 2 in 2027, I'll be happy.