Streetcar

[Laramie]

The weather has not been favorable to the later time that remains on the streetcar rollout; want to commend Mayor Holt on the extension.

[rezman]

Great news! Let's keep these extensions going. I would not mind to see some corporate sponsors help in this effort.

They probably would as long as they can plaster their names and logos all over the pretty new street car bodies.

[HOT ROD]

free until at least the spring would be even better.

[PaddyShack]

So my wife and I had an interesting time on the Street car Saturday night. We hopped on at the Library stop. As we went along the route we noticed that the recorded messages were not playing as well as the scrolling electronic sign kept saying that next stop was Myriad Gardens. No biggie, we are pretty confident with the route, but we heard other riders complaining or making fun of it not working. As we turned onto Automobile Alley we made the first stop to pick people up, by this time the train was fairly full, but not packed. While heading to the next stop we felt the train start to brake and then accelerate again. Upon looking out the window we watched as the streetcar ran a red light with no horn or bells. Not sure if the driver was tired or just didn't see the red light. After that incident the driver turned off the electronic sign and we continued through the rest of the loop. Until the driver was switched out at Scissortail stop.

As soon as the new driver sat down the overhead messages started right up and the scrolling sign was back to normal.

Maybe a refresher course on the operation of the streetcar is needed so service is consistent between drivers.

[RaRaRyan]

Was the driver “running a red light” one of the intersections where there is a streetcar specific light? There are a few where all lights are red, except for the streetcar sign which gives it priority to clear the intersection while everyone else is stopped.

[PaddyShack]

Was the driver “running a red light” one of the intersections where there is a streetcar specific light? There are a few where all lights are red, except for the streetcar sign which gives it priority to clear the intersection while everyone else is stopped.

No, the cross street lights were green while we blew through

[Plutonic Panda]

Thought I’d share this interesting read about Enids streetcar system: https://transportationhistory.org/20...mpression=true

[OKC Guy]

Thought I’d share this interesting read about Enids streetcar system: https://transportationhistory.org/20...mpression=true

Interesting that they outlawed it in 29 due to having other options. Wonder if they tore tracks up or just covered over?

[PhiAlpha]

No, the cross street lights were green while we blew through

Well thats one way to handle the whole signal prioritization issue!

[Midtowner]

Having a very hard time viewing those. Resolution is way too low. Can't even view if I zoom.

[G.Walker]

Rode the streetcar over the weekend with my family, and we enjoyed it. The longest wait time we had was 5 minutes, and only took us 20 minutes to get from North Hudson to Bricktown.

The streetcars were crowded, but I am anxious to see if the high ridership will maintain, once the free rides end on Feb. 1st & all the hype is gone. . Moreover, after speaking with other people, it seems like people are riding it as a form of entertainment & leisure & not actually a need to use.

[Timshel]

Had an ideal streetcar experience last night before and after the Thunder game. Had dinner at 1492 and walked over to the midtown stop. The arrival time was stuck on 2 minutes for probably 5-7 minutes, but wasn't horrible. And one thing about the loud bell on a windless night is that you could hear the streetcar making its way through midtown and get a sense of where it was. The driver made very good time getting down to the Century Center stop. Didn't time it but if it was more than 7-10 minutes I would be very surprised.

After the game, exited the arena straight to a waiting car at the Scissortail Park stop, which is very close to the southwest exit of the arena. The car appeared to be waiting for people leaving the game, which I hoped/assumed would be the case. Getting back to midtown was a bit slower but I never felt the streetcar was trapped in post-game traffic. Ordered a lyft to meet us right by the North Hudson stop while we were still on the streetcar and then off to home we went.

I envisioned Thunder games being one of the primary times I would use the streetcar and if last night's experience was any indication it is a no brainer. Expands the number of convenient pre-game dinner options and is much more convenient than parking near the arena or getting in the uber/lyft line at the arena. The cars weren't as busy as I expected (I was expecting them to be packed) for a Thunder game (was able to find a seat to and fro) but most seats were taken and there were probably 10-15 people standing in the middle section of the car each way.

I'm beating a dead horse, but as time goes on I think it will be critical for riders to be able to determine when the next streetcar is arriving without having to go to the platform, whether that's on an app/live map/google maps or having tvs/boards with arrival times in nearby businesses (I do think signal priority is more important but this is a close second). I have to imagine bars and restaurants would gladly pay for that. Based on my experience last night Fassler/Dust Bowl having one for the midtown stop is an obvious example and I bet such tvs would pay for themselves in no time.

[kukblue1]

I also use for dinner options for Thunder games. Last night game I parked by ice rink, lucky to find a spot, rode the car to tap works then to Thunder game. With wait times it would of been about the same amount of time to walk but my friend has a hard time walking go the street car is going to come in very handy for us. Wasn't busy at all. At tapworks stop it said 4 minutes and was more like 10. I wish there was a way to track it. Like many others have said I would of just stayed inside the restaurant longer

Speaking of Parking last 2 Thunder games Embark has blocked off all parking on the west side of the Myriad Gardens , Are they getting tired of people parking over the white lines?

[dankrutka]

I'm beating a dead horse, but as time goes on I think it will be critical for riders to be able to determine when the next streetcar is arriving without having to go to the platform, whether that's on an app/live map/google maps or having tvs/boards with arrival times in nearby businesses (I do think signal priority is more important but this is a close second). I have to imagine bars and restaurants would gladly pay for that. Based on my experience last night Fassler/Dust Bowl having one for the midtown stop is an obvious example and I bet such tvs would pay for themselves in no time.

Just stick some Go Pros on each streetcar and boom - Streetcar TV is live across OKC!

[rte66man]

Just stick some Go Pros on each streetcar and boom - Streetcar TV is live across OKC!

Great idea, which is why it won't happen.

[shawnw]

There's a connectivity/infrastructure issue with trying to use gopros in that way.

[kukblue1]

Got on at 4 at cox center this past Saturday. Took it to Bricktown to eat no many people on it at all. Then 5:30 over to the Thunder game. A few more people but there were still seats. Wait times were pretty good. I think the lets ride it for fun is starting to wear off. What is it like during the week now?

[Midtowner]

I took it from my office in midtown to court the other day. It is no longer stopping at every stop. There were probably about 10 people on the car at any given time. It took me around 15 minutes to get to court, though altogether, I still walked about 3 blocks. It seems to make decent time now.

[shawnw]

Thursday night I saw a car go by me and it only had a few people on it. Was surprised, but also pleased in a strange way.

[PhiAlpha]

And......it happened.

https://newsok.com/article/5620398/o...-tuesday-night

[shawnw]

Who had 1 month in the pool?

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

Can they not get photos or videos of the runaway vehicle that hit the street car?

[OKC Guy]

What is a bus bridge? Is it an actual bus stopping at SC stops? And there must be video somewhere close by showing the car. With that many witnesses I’m surprised the article didn’t say the vehicle description so people might recall it while fresh in minds (not people on SC but in general area who might have seen it and where it went afterwards). It also doesn’t say if it was turning a corner or how the car hit it. Broadside or glazed or front end hit or what. Very little info in article other than saying they think it was minor to the SC but not even if car was red or white or black or blue. Hope they catch em and made to pay restitution to city

“While all streetcars were stopped, a bus bridge was implemented to maintain service at all streetcar stops, Scroggins said”

[jn1780]

What is a bus bridge? Is it an actual bus stopping at SC stops? And there must be video somewhere close by showing the car. With that many witnesses I’m surprised the article didn’t say the vehicle description so people might recall it while fresh in minds (not people on SC but in general area who might have seen it and where it went afterwards). It also doesn’t say if it was turning a corner or how the car hit it. Broadside or glazed or front end hit or what. Very little info in article other than saying they think it was minor to the SC but not even if car was red or white or black or blue. Hope they catch em and made to pay restitution to city

“While all streetcars were stopped, a bus bridge was implemented to maintain service at all streetcar stops, Scroggins said”

Yes, I wonder what people were saying when a bus came to picked them up.

[BBatesokc]

I'm shocked if the street cars are not outfitted with cameras that record the interior and exterior - for just these events, crime, vandalism and/or injury claims.