Downtown corridor eyed for OKC mass transit options

[jbrown84]

Also, has anyone used Amtrak for a shorter trip, say to Norman or Purcell?

Yeah, I rode it to Purcell so we could take our little cousin from Kansas on the train. Then we got picked up and came back.

[jpeaceokc]

Does anyone here actually ride the bus regularly? I have personally never ridden the bus but am intending on trying it sometime this summer. Just to see if I can get from my house dowtown and back againg without calling someone to come pick me up. There is a bus stop literally across the street from my house, so it should not be too hard.

I ride the bus a few times each week to work, and I enjoy it tremendously. I have to get a ride at the end of the line, however, because there is a 45 minute walk from the last stop to my work. That isn't a problem. Two people at my house work at the same place, one goes to work earlier than me, so he picks me up. he gets off before I do, so he takes the bus home and I drive home because I generally finish after the bus stops running. So we are able to get two people to work at different times with only one vehicle running, which saves us lots of money.

I enjoy riding the bus because it gives me time to catch up on my reading.

[CuatrodeMayo]

You can use it to commute...if you have a boss that doesn't care if you are an hour late half the time.

[Luke]

CCOKC... did you get a chance to ride the bus?

I decided to see what it would take for me to get from my house (near SE 44th & Bryant) to my workplace (near NW 50th & I-44) on the bus with just walking to and from the bus stop. It would be a 2 hour ordeal. Wow.

If I didn't have a car, I could understand doing everything I could to make sure I kept my job. Even if it included riding a bus for two hours.

I still haven't ever ridden the bus in OKC. I'm tempted to just to try it. But, even considering taking it downtown for an evening in Bricktown I run into a problem. The last bus coming back to my neighborhood leaves the Transit Center at 6:45 PM. I couldn't even spend an evening in Bricktown. It would be more of an afternoon. The Saturday schedule is even worse with the last bus leaving at 5:30 PM.

Maybe my starting point and ending point are just odd, but 2 hours on a bus to travel 15 miles is crazy. And not to be able to catch a bus to go downtown at night is a bummer.

This exercise just made me realize that it's gotta be difficult for them to determine when and where routes should go.

I wonder how a rail system would tie into all this...

[betts]

Buses don't have cachet. There are so many negative stereotypes associated with them. If you want people to use mass transit who've never used it before, I think trolleys and light rail are much more appealing. I still think light rail running north and south between Guthrie and Norman, with trolleys as your "circular" form of transportation is what would generate the most new ridership. But if buses are the choice we're stuck with, the key is frequent buses that run on time. I take the bus all the time when I visit London, and when I lived in Denver I lived in Capitol Hill and didn't even have a car. But, buses ran every ten to twenty minutes and they were rarely more than 5 minutes late. You want to be able to walk to a bus stop and know that a bus will be there soon, without having to consult a timetable. And in the Oklahoma weather, you really need to know you won't have to wait long. You cannot assume you have to have full buses to increase ridership. OKC will need to run more vehicles empty at first in order to achieve an increase.

[CCOKC]

No I haven't ridden the bus yet. I have just been so busy this summer. I do follow at least one bus every day on my way to work and have noticed that they seem to have more riders on them than I have ever noticed. As I go down Portland they seem to stop at every bus stop and either drop someone off or pick someone up. Also I see people on every stop on 10th street in the morning. So I know people rely on the bus system to get to work and back. But just like you were saying Luke, they don't seem to be a viable option just to get downtown for a night out.

[David Pollard]

I recently visited my parents back home in OKC and decided to take a day trip on Amtrak to Ft. Worth, just to be able to compare the service to what I am used to here in Europe. To be honest the service leaves MUCH to be desired. We started 20 minutes late, got about 2 miles down the track and stopped for over an hour. We ended up being SO frustrated that we actually got out in Norman and, after a fun day at the OU's new art museum, took the bus back to downtown OKC from the OU campus. Was actually the first time in my entire life that I had taken public transportation in OKC other than a school bus.

My point is that in order for even a light rail to be effective for OKC, there must indeed be a guarantee of a least reasonable service. In additional, the condition of the Amtrak carriages were, well, abysmal! If OKC does ever have the vision and courage to put in light rail for a commuter line I strongly suggest that they make it a quality and punctual service that actually encourages ridership. Make it a real treat. Noone in their right might would jump on a filthy, late train. For an example of what does work, take a look at Minneapolis' train... real nice. Better yet, check out Amsterdam, Cologne, Lille (France) to see cities that have really done good jobs at making their public transportation both attractive AND effective.

[metro]

A system in transit: Though light rail idea is picking up speed, officials propose cuts to some bus routes

By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer

After years of neglect, momentum is building for an improved public transit system in Oklahoma City.
If it happens, it could have a dramatic effect on ozone pollution.

Light rail is at the center of early discussions about a possible MAPS 3 proposal. But city leaders and environmental advocates agree such relief could take a decade or more, meaning the city will need to look elsewhere to avoid falling out of compliance with clean air standards this summer.

"If we could have a public transportation system tomorrow, I think we would all take it,” said Jennifer Gooden, co-founder of Sustainable OKC. "We really have to do something in the short term.”

Automobiles account for more than 60 percent of the city's ozone pollution, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said a long-term air quality solution must include reducing automobile pollution, and that public transportation will play a big role.

A recent Internet survey by the city shows public transit is by far the most popular idea for a potential MAPS 3 proposal. Cornett said the survey shows the city hasn't done enough to support public transit and is continuing to fall behind.

Transit officials have proposed temporary cuts to eight bus routes this summer.

Zach Taylor, executive director of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, said the city is suffering from a lack of planning decades ago.


‘Real' economics
Momentum appears to be shifting.
Those responding to the city's MAPS 3 survey mentioned public transit ideas more than three times as often as any other issue.

Clean air is only a small part of the reason for such a shift, Taylor said. Taylor lists two other factors that are leading the drive for mass transit: increased traffic congestion and high gasoline prices.

Although Oklahoma City's traffic congestion is minor when compared to most other major cities, that that may not always be the case, Taylor said.

"Between now and 2030 we will see a 35 percent increase in the number of cars on the road and the number of trips and travel,” Taylor said. "We can't build enough roads to service all of the needs for our long-term future.”

The idea of congested roads 20 years from now probably means less to the average Oklahoma City resident than $3 per gallon gasoline, Taylor said.

"The economics are real,” Taylor said.

"For some people, it's a matter of getting to and from work and still having groceries to put on the table.”


‘Plan for our future'
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments tracks and tries to control ozone pollution in the area through a public education campaign.
Television advertisements, billboards and other marketing efforts encourage people to forego activities that contribute to air pollution, such as filling up gas tanks and mowing yards when weather factors such as hot temperatures and low wind make heavy pollution likely.

Taylor said the group does a survey at the end of each summer to see how effective the advertising campaign is.

Results show people may see clean air as another driving factor for public transit.

"I think it's part of the picture and long term, it will be part of the solution,” Cornett said. "But for mass transit to be successful, we have to have a higher level of ridership than we would expect to have now.”

Cornett and other city leaders are talking about light rail now because they expect it will take a decade or more to get such a system in place. Light rail would likely cost more than $100 million, city officials say.

Taylor said something else must be done in the meantime. Boosting the city's bus service would be a good start, he said.

Light rail could prevent more stop-gap measures in the future, he said.

Gooden said it makes sense to get started on a long-term solution as soon as possible.

"Public transit is our future,” Gooden said. "We can do it now and plan for our future, or we can wait until it's a crisis.”





BY PAUL HELLSTERN, The Oklahoman To reduce your contribution to ozone pollution, follow these government recommendations:
•Keep your vehicle maintenance up to speed: A poorly maintained car can release up to 100 times the pollution of a well-maintained one.

•Inflate your tires to the recommended levels: You'll improve your gas mileage by 3 percent.

•Choose a different commute: If you left your car at home one workday a week for a year, you'd save, on average, $455. To find someone to carpool with, call the Rideshare Carpool Matching Program at 235-RIDE.

•Ride the bus, bike or walk.


•Consolidate your errands : Vehicle travel is doubling every 20 years.



•Don't idle: You will save gas if you turn your car off when you expect to be idling for 30 seconds or longer. Skip the drive-through.

•Say no to stop-and-go: When possible, plan your driving trips around rush hours. When you do have to stop and go, do so slowly, accelerating and braking gradually and anticipating stop signs and traffic lights.

•Open your windows: Car air conditioners reduce fuel efficiency. •Fuel up in the evening or early morning: Don't top off your tank, as it lets harmful emissions into the air.

[betts]

There was a letter to the editor in the DOK today in which a woman was complaining about irregular schedules and an hour-long wait for the trolley while she was attempting to show out of town guests around Bricktown. If trolleys truly only run once an hour, that is an unacceptable form of public transportation. Reliable, frequent service is the only way to get people out of their cars.