OKC Commuter Rail

[Richard at Remax]

No matter what you do there is always going to be someone to walk/ride in a street and get hit by a car. Not pay attention and walk on tracks. Fall off an elevated platform of tracks, ect.

The best thing you can do is have signs and notices making people aware of what is going on around them.

And no, I don't need to watch the video. I got rookied as a kid to watch faces of death. Seen enough of that to last a lifetime. But ill take your word on it

[OKVision4U]

I'm waiting for him to start going off about blowing horns...

Cautro, did you see the video of the lady trying to cross the tracks?

[OKVision4U]

This is not an example of a person that made a mistake.... she didn't do anything wrong. She simply exited her commute train and walked to the crosswalk and ventured out into harms way.

This is NOT an acceptable "mishap". This is not a person falling from a platform. This is someone that died because the design was flawed. PERIOD.

The MOM did nothing wrong. There is Zero reason why she should not be here today.

[warreng88]

What's "funny" about this video is the person crossing the tracks, sees the train coming tries to run anyway and gets hit instead of stopping. That would never happen now because there would be seperate points of entry for N/S, E/W bound trains. People are not going to be asked to cross the tracks to get to another train, they will have to take stairs or elevators to get up or down to a platform to take them across to the other side. There will be signs telling people not to cross the tracks and to use the alternate ways. There will be railings to deny people getting on to the tracks. So, with all those preventors in place and with the way other places have done it for 100 years, we should all of a sudden change the game because a few people are going to really, really, really stupid and try to do something, really, really, really dangerous? Why not make hangliding, bungee jumping and sky-diving illegal while you are at it? It is the same thing in that people make these decisions, knowing the risk and choose to do it anyways.

[hoya]

Hoyasooner, Worth Cook, Venture...did you see the clip of the Lady trying to cross the tracks?

I blame Tony Stewart for that.

[OKVision4U]

I'm waiting for him to start going off about blowing horns...

CM, you are a design guy.... What would you design that could accomplish this Commute Train issue? ...how can we keep the passengers away from harm and still move volumes of people in close proximity?

[warreng88]

I blame Tony Stewart for that.

Yep, saw the train accelerate around the curve...

[OKVision4U]

No one is spending a billion dollars + without voter approval. I would suggest running for city council, or lobbying your city councilors hard to make this the next MAPS election, because it would be the only thing on the ballot at that price. All the talk in the world on a message board accomplishes nothing. Without political involvement, other people are going to make the decisions they want to make. And that billion + dollars means the only thing we're spending money on is light rail. We're no Dallas, with a population to generate that kind of money and then some.

Urban Pioneer, so you agree we should have a commuter train that is placing the "passenger" in harms way by allowing them to be in a second rate "feasible / workable" system? ..ie Moore / Norman / Edmond that don't have the Santa Fe station to keep passengers in a seperate entry / exit point. ...one that will share the same areas as the freight lines.

..or should we push for the Best Solution for our brothers & sisters,son's & daughters, wife & husband, Mom's & Dad's, Grandparents that we care about? ...one that will be in an Elevated System with Dedicated Lines and not in the freight yards ? ... Let's do that one!

[venture]

Venture, maybe your are a little too caught-up in the banter of this sandbox, but I was very serious when I demonstrated the "why" I am very engaged in this commute alternative called Heavy Trains sharing lines w/ Freight & Mixing the Entrance / Exit points in Moore / Norman / Edmond / MWC.

In case you did not see it, I will provide you a copy also, since you are a transportation expert as well. Warning, this is graphic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w612s5faYtE

Again, this is a very important issue when it comes to our loved ones. They deserve our best, not the "most feasible". Or the one that is "workable".

The insult Venture is when they try to "push" a product and then tell us its "safe".

I did see your distasteful video. My response to that - how may people get struck by a train today at commuter rail stations? What cities have you been in and used their commuter rail service? List them.

[OKVision4U]

I did see your distasteful video. My response to that - how may people get struck by a train today at commuter rail stations? What cities have you been in and used their commuter rail service? List them.

oh, I guess one death is not enough for you? And this is not my video, I just shared an example of Commuter Trains sharing track w/ Freight lines.

[Plutonic Panda]

I did see your distasteful video. My response to that - how may people get struck by a train today at commuter rail stations? What cities have you been in and used their commuter rail service? List them.

I put a penny on a train track one time and it screwed that penny up

[betts]

If we videotaped every plane crash, every car crash, every bike-ped, every auto-ped accident and used the degree of graphic-ness to determine what kind of transit to use, we would all be sitting in our homes. Regardless of whether we have commuter rail or not, there will be trains on tracks. People can be hit by them. That's not a reasonable reason to eschew heavy rail. I believe the statement "I think light rail is cool and that's why I want it" carries a bit more weight. So, as I said, that's a nice personal goal to work toward. But posting on a message board accomplishes little.

[betts]

Fear is a good thing! I do have a healthy respect for life. Others may not. I will be 100% up-front w/ all of you on this subject. I will not be picking up any rattlesnakes, you won't see me on Sharkweek swimming with any Great Whites during their dinner time, and I'm not crossing the Mara River w/ the Wildabeast ( it is well known the Crocs feed at that time ). It is not a fear, it is a Respect for the Circumstances. ....just like our Commute Trains that are mixed-in with the freight lines. That is already a (Lethal) design, so why add that to our commute?

Let me ask all of you this, would you feel 100% comfortable at sending your 75 year old Grandmother ALONE to the OU Health downtown to get her checkup from Moore? Hutch, I don't need to waste time talking to a group ( Mayor / Councilment / Committe Member that is OK with this senario. If you don't care, then I can't help you on this one. If you don't understand it already, then 10 minutes is not going to enlighten you.

Yes, I would feel very comfortable sending my 75 year old grandmother alone to the Health Sciences Center. Of course, the last time she was in New York she spent all day riding mass transit and the Hop-A-Buses to see the sights.....alone! I remember her saying, "I went to the Bronx yesterday and I think I'm going to go to Brooklyn today" and none of us thought twice about it. She was 84 at the time, by the way. Here she walks everywhere and she thinks it's funny that if she's walking back from the grocery store people keep trying to give her a ride.

In Japan, kids as young as 7 ride mass transit.....all by themselves. Gasp.

You need a better argument.

[Hutch]

Urban Pioneer, so you agree we should have a commuter train that is placing the "passenger" in harms way by allowing them to be in a second rate "feasible / workable" system? ..ie Moore / Norman / Edmond that don't have the Santa Fe station to keep passengers in a seperate entry / exit point. ...one that will share the same areas as the freight lines.

..or should we push for the Best Solution for our brothers & sisters,son's & daughters, wife & husband, Mom's & Dad's, Grandparents that we care about? ...one that will be in an Elevated System with Dedicated Lines and not in the freight yards ? ... Let's do that one!

Crickets

[venture]

oh, I guess one death is not enough for you? And this is not my video, I just shared an example of Commuter Trains sharing track w/ Freight lines.

So should all planes be grounded? Cars banned from use? Pretty much what Betts is saying. You are using one incident, from 1991, to justify your comments for today. Please answer my questions as well instead of just dodging.

Have you taken the Metra in Chicago? Hey guess what, those lines are shared with freight.

[Teo9969]

Venture, maybe your are a little too caught-up in the banter of this sandbox, but I was very serious when I demonstrated the "why" I am very engaged in this commute alternative called Heavy Trains sharing lines w/ Freight & Mixing the Entrance / Exit points in Moore / Norman / Edmond / MWC.

No you're not…you're on an internet forum trying to change a bunch of people's minds.

I mean, I feel like I probably push my points too hard, but you're berating people with the same exact point just expecting them to change their stance and then you say that you're involved in trying to see your vision become reality when you have probably not attended a single meeting on the street-car or any meeting regarding public transit in OKC.

I've taken trains/metros in 5 to 10 cities, and in none of them would anying other than my own stupidity would have led to my loss of life.

Finally, I'm going to put this whole thing to rest with my evidence that completely eviscerates your video link:

[OKVision4U]

Like I said, I may value life a little more than others. If a little "fore thought" can help save a life.... then why not!!!

What part of THAT do you not underdstand ?

[warreng88]

Like I said, I may value life a little more than others. If a little "fore thought" can help save a life.... then why not!!!

What part of THAT do you not underdstand ?

You are acting like no one wants to be safe. We all want to be safe and the protocols and procedures are in place now that make it safer. So, the Maglev technology does not allow for human error? Is there still a chance that people can walk on to the track? Again, you posted a video of someone getting hit by a train from 1991! What about all the car wrecks on highways that kill people? Should we outlaw cars? No, that would be silly, so why don't we make it as safe as possible by having separate entrances for E/W, N/S people so they don't have to cross the tracks, like the subway in any major city. Are you against the streetcar? Those will be at grade and people could walk across the tracks and get hit by one, have you considered that?

[OKVision4U]

If we videotaped every plane crash, every car crash, every bike-ped, every auto-ped accident and used the degree of graphic-ness to determine what kind of transit to use, we would all be sitting in our homes. Regardless of whether we have commuter rail or not, there will be trains on tracks. People can be hit by them. That's not a reasonable reason to eschew heavy rail. I believe the statement "I think light rail is cool and that's why I want it" carries a bit more weight. So, as I said, that's a nice personal goal to work toward. But posting on a message board accomplishes little.

Your statement that Safety ( caring for Life ) is less important than " light rail is cool " ? .... well....

[LakeEffect]

Let's all stop feeding the troll, put them on ignore, and move on to more substantive conversation.

[warreng88]

So, where would be good stops on the MWC line? I am not familiar with that area enough to warrant an opinion. Also, I am not sure what line they would be using.

[venture]

Let's all stop feeding the troll, put them on ignore, and move on to more substantive conversation.

Yup, he's back on ignore. Just report his posts since Pete and Martin don't read every thread, they tend to miss behavior such as what he tends to display on multiple threads.

[Tier2City]

The OKC Metro Light Rail should be of Mag-Lev system and we would not have to build this twice.

Lathen train collision - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lathen train collision occurred on 22 September 2006 when a Transrapid magnetic levitation (or "maglev") train collided with a maintenance vehicle near Lathen, Germany, killing 23 people.

[OKVision4U]

You are acting like no one wants to be safe. We all want to be safe and the protocols and procedures are in place now that make it safer. So, the Maglev technology does not allow for human error? Is there still a chance that people can walk on to the track? Again, you posted a video of someone getting hit by a train from 1991! What about all the car wrecks on highways that kill people? Should we outlaw cars? No, that would be silly, so why don't we make it as safe as possible by having separate entrances for E/W, N/S people so they don't have to cross the tracks, like the subway in any major city. Are you against the streetcar? Those will be at grade and people could walk across the tracks and get hit by one, have you considered that?

Let me bring a few of you up-to-speed on something. The OKC Metro Commuter is a NEW system being introduced to the public in OKC for the first time. This is not part of an existing system ( subway put in in 1922 and one that we have to work around or adapt our system to ). We have the luxury of a new system to enhance the quality of life, w/o being tied to an old industrial system previosly built in 1940. We don't have that. OKC is not NYC, and we don't have their existing infrastructure that we HAVE to add on to.

So why start in the Freight Yard? ...why start there when we don't have to? There is not one single reason why we should START our design in the freight yard. This is adding to the LOSS OF LIFE equation before we even build it. That is my issue. I don't accept that.

This is 2014 and we need to be a little more responsible than that. Take some accountability for our actions of the PRODUCT we offer to the people. It's time to grow up.

[warreng88]

Let me bring a few of you up-to-speed on something. The OKC Metro Commuter is a NEW system being introduced to the public in OKC for the first time. This is not part of an existing system ( subway put in in 1922 and one that we have to work around or adapt our system to ). We have the luxury of a new system to enhance the quality of life, w/o being tied to an old industrial system previosly built in 1940. We don't have that. OKC is not NYC, and we don't have their existing infrastructure that we HAVE to add on to.

So why start in the Freight Yard? ...why start there when we don't have to? There is not one single reason why we should START our design in the freight yard. This is adding to the LOSS OF LIFE equation before we even build it. That is my issue. I don't accept that.

This is 2014 and we need to be a little more responsible than that. Take some accountability for our actions of the PRODUCT we offer to the people. It's time to grow up.

Like the Maglev train wreck that killed 23 people and injured 10 others? That loss of life equation?