Streetcar

[David]

Noticeable jump in December, the free weekends I assume?

[Pete]

^

Free the entire month of December.

[TheTravellers]

Still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many blockages, ridiculous that it's still happening at the rate of 3 per day.

[BoulderSooner]

^

Free the entire month of December.

only on the weekends

[catch22]

Still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many blockages, ridiculous that it's still happening at the rate of 3 per day.

Increase the fine for blocking it, and use that to fund a city owned tow truck and have a driver on call during operating hours.

[TheTravellers]

^^^ And it just baffles me that this common sense solution that damn near everybody that has two neurons to rub together can figure out hasn't been adopted by OKC after a freaking year....

[Plutonic Panda]

Increase the fine for blocking it, and use that to fund a city owned tow truck and have a driver on call during operating hours.

Or just allow private towing companies to patrol it.

[jerrywall]

Or just allow private towing companies to patrol it.

THIS! Allow private companies to impound cars that block the track (with proper documentation and photographic evidence taken) and you won't be seeing cars blocking the lines for long. The towing companies will be competing with each other to hook up and haul off the cars first.

[Plutonic Panda]

THIS! Allow private companies to impound cars that block the track (with proper documentation and photographic evidence taken) and you won't be seeing cars blocking the lines for long. The towing companies will be competing with each other to hook up and haul off the cars first.

Could also offer increased fees for blocking the streetcar line.

I know this hasn't set well with many here but converting those parking spaces along the streetcar line to protected bike lanes(two way if enough space is present) would go a long ways.

The city should also look into closing some low traffic count streets off and allowing only buses and streetcars to use certain lanes.

[BoulderSooner]

Still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many blockages, ridiculous that it's still happening at the rate of 3 per day.

i will say that i believe the the type of blockage has improved

a tire 1 inch on the white line (which should be red lines but that is a different topic) counts as a "blockage" and the streetcar stops but all it requires is an inspection that the streetcar can pass safetly and it lots of cases happens very very fast

[TheTravellers]

i will say that i believe the the type of blockage has improved

a tire 1 inch on the white line (which should be red lines but that is a different topic) counts as a "blockage" and the streetcar stops but all it requires is an inspection that the streetcar can pass safetly and it lots of cases happens very very fast

Good to know the criteria of "blockage", thanks.

Do other cities that run streetcars have a lead vehicle in front of them that drives the entire route during all service hours (as I believe ours does, but correct me if I'm wrong)?

[Zorba]

The weekday numbers seem terrible. If people that work downtown won't take them to get lunch, will people at the convention center? I've never down that way at lunch time, but I wonder if it would help if they increased the number of cars on the Bricktown loop at lunch time so you knew you'd only have a ~7 min wait worst case.

[Plutonic Panda]

To Anonymous, I support free mass transit for elderly, disabled, students, and anyone under 18. Those that can pay for it should do so. Transit needs as much funding sources as it can get and fares should absolutely be a part of that.

[Zorba]

To Anonymous, I support free mass transit for elderly, disabled, students, and anyone under 18. Those that can pay for it should do so. Transit needs as much funding sources as it can get and fares should absolutely be a part of that.

If only people felt the same about roads and parking.

I really don't mind paying, but it just adds a barrier and the ticket machines in OKC are slow and there is only one per stop. And a lot of people will burn $5 in gas to save $1, whether it's for PT or milk.

The real funding for PT is by reducing infrastructure costs elsewhere. To get to that point though, you have to offer a decent PT system, while charging closer to a real cost for automobiles.

[SoonerDave]

The weekday numbers seem terrible. If people that work downtown won't take them to get lunch, will people at the convention center? I've never down that way at lunch time, but I wonder if it would help if they increased the number of cars on the Bricktown loop at lunch time so you knew you'd only have a ~7 min wait worst case.

The people I know that DO work downtown have relayed to me fairly uniformly that they HATE the streetcar, that it goes nowhere that's of any use to them, and as a result they don't use it. It is, at least from their perspective as someone who has worked downtown for *years* and has taken advantage of what's left of the ConnCourse, alternate routes, you name it. There was interest bordering on excitement for a time, but the result once it was put in operation was "it's a streetcar to nowhere. Its useless." - again, I'm not *vouching* for the veracity of the statement, I'm merely relaying what I was told by someone with long-term, first-hand knowledge of the area. FWIW.

[Plutonic Panda]

If only people felt the same about roads and parking.

I really don't mind paying, but it just adds a barrier and the ticket machines in OKC are slow and there is only one per stop. And a lot of people will burn $5 in gas to save $1, whether it's for PT or milk.

The real funding for PT is by reducing infrastructure costs elsewhere. To get to that point though, you have to offer a decent PT system, while charging closer to a real cost for automobiles.

Are you saying driving is free? Cars are free? No taxes paid from buying a car? Fuel? Fuel tax? License fees? Registration fees? Toll roads?

[shawnw]

The people I know that DO work downtown have relayed to me fairly uniformly that they HATE the streetcar, that it goes nowhere that's of any use to them, and as a result they don't use it. It is, at least from their perspective as someone who has worked downtown for *years* and has taken advantage of what's left of the ConnCourse, alternate routes, you name it. There was interest bordering on excitement for a time, but the result once it was put in operation was "it's a streetcar to nowhere. Its useless." - again, I'm not *vouching* for the veracity of the statement, I'm merely relaying what I was told by someone with long-term, first-hand knowledge of the area. FWIW.

Having to pay for parking (and transit) is a normal every day thing for every significant city in the world. While you do hear about cities taking a serious look at 100% free public transit (most recently Kansas City is considering it, but also I've read just in the last week a couple European cities considering it), but has anyone heard of a city of significance pursuing 100% free public parking? Serious question, would be interesting to know.

[okccowan]

They really need to get the wait times down to closer to 5-7 minutes. I live in Midtown and work in the CBD and it takes me longer to wait and ride the SC than it does to simply walk to work. If it was a 5 minute wait, I would ride the SC.

[okccowan]

Kansas City has 100% free public transit right now. They adopted it a month or so ago.

[shawnw]

Kansas City has 100% free public transit right now. They adopted it a month or so ago.

Oops I missed that, thanks!

[shawnw]

They really need to get the wait times down to closer to 5-7 minutes. I live in Midtown and work in the CBD and it takes me longer to wait and ride the SC than it does to simply walk to work. If it was a 5 minute wait, I would ride the SC.

No objections to that, I think we have enough cars to make it happen. But they wouldn't even have to do it all hours, just put all the cars in service for morning/afternoon rush and lunch. They could even do a "lunch express" route that doesn't stop at all stops.

[jedicurt]

They really need to get the wait times down to closer to 5-7 minutes. I live in Midtown and work in the CBD and it takes me longer to wait and ride the SC than it does to simply walk to work. If it was a 5 minute wait, I would ride the SC.

this is very much a large part of the problem... i've stopped my arguments that we are building it on the wrong streets with the wrong stops, because it's now built, and we have to deal with it... we have to work to make the dumb routes they chose work... and the best way to do that is get the wait times down to around 5 minutes.

[TheTravellers]

To Anonymous, I support free mass transit for elderly, disabled, students, and anyone under 18. Those that can pay for it should do so. Transit needs as much funding sources as it can get and fares should absolutely be a part of that.

Fares aren't as important revenue-wise as you think they are. For an OKC bus boarding a couple of years ago, the total cost is $6.73 and the average fare is $0.84 - page 11 of https://embarkok.com/assets/files/pl...ril%202017.pdf

[Plutonic Panda]

Fares aren't as important revenue-wise as you think they are. For an OKC bus boarding a couple of years ago, the total cost is $6.73 and the average fare is $0.84 - page 11 of https://embarkok.com/assets/files/pl...ril%202017.pdf

The fare structure in OKC should be raised a bit to provide more funding and structure changed. Annual pass holders see most benefits. Distance based fares should be the way.

[shawnw]

Distance based won't work until we're going some distance, which doesn't happen except on the 24 really. Possibly the 5 up to Mercy. Otherwise all routes are 30 minutes out, 30 minutes back.