That dependence on the automobile is not all bad. Through the years, it’s led us to create a great network of roads. And that network of roads is the envy of cities around the country. We have very little traffic congestion. There is more good news for us. Generally, the cost of gasoline is affordable. And that combination - free moving traffic and affordable gas - are key ingredients to our quality of life. We are very mobile. We go where we want, when we want. And in many of our peer cities, those days are gone.
But
we are kidding ourselves if we think this is sustainable long-term. Traffic congestion is going to increase. Fuel prices are going to increase. And there are other costs to an automobile-friendly lifestyle. Although we remain one of the largest cities in the country still in compliance with the Clean Air Act, that status is in jeopardy. The exhaust from the cars is polluting our air. Fifty percent of our pollution comes from automobiles. Plus, our reliance on the car has created a sedentary culture. As a community, too many of us are overweight, and the increased cost of healthcare is weighing on our economy.
...
Now, public transportation means different things to different people. There is an inner city aspect of public transportation where you have a core of downtown that is served. There is commuter transportation that might get someone down Northwest Expressway or up Shields. And then there is the growing number of people that choose to live in Edmond or Moore or Norman or Choctaw or any one of the suburban communities. A lot of those people work in Oklahoma City. They need to get to work. There’s certainly a tourism aspect to public transportation, but when you start sorting all of these opportunities into one idea, it becomes massive, it becomes complex, and it certainly becomes expensive. Over the past two years, we have completed an exhaustive, futuristic look at transportation in our community.
Now, the plan includes four distinct methods of public transportation: Bus Rapid Transit, Commuter Rail, Downtown Streetcar, and Enhanced Bus Service.
And if you care to see the details, and I encourage you to look at them, they are available on the Internet. It is called the Fixed Guideway Study and the web address is:
OKFGS.org.
Now, this conversation about public transportation needs to continue, but this much is clear - public transportation needs to be addressed not only from the core, but needs to be addressed on a regional basis. The funding needs to come from a regional basis. And it’s not only going to be able to come from the metro, it’s going to need to come from the state as well.
You know, in the coming years,
we are going need to accelerate this conversation and move into action. We’re not going to be able to ignore our public transformation problems forever. The study and research is done for now. We’re at a point where
we need to start thinking about long-term implementation. What are we going to do about it?
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Originally Posted by metro
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