NewsOK Now » Traffic http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews Oklahoma News, National Stories, Photos, Videos and Notebook Scribblings Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:20:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 An hour with Metro Transit passengers http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/2012/06/04/an-hour-with-metro-transit-passengers/ http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/2012/06/04/an-hour-with-metro-transit-passengers/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:01:43 +0000 Tiffany Gibson http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/?p=4237

A story ran in The Oklahoman today about Metro Transit officials discussing route safety and growth.

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A story ran in The Oklahoman today about Metro Transit officials discussing route safety and growth. I worked on the story for awhile and even had a chance to ride a bus with passengers for an hour. Here’s what all we got into:

Shortly before we left the downtown station, I found a seat and started talking to some of the people around me. We talked about safety, occupations, life ambitions and even the OKC Thunder. The people were friendly and kept me laughing the entire trip.

One of the passengers, Steve Burton, 48, of Oklahoma City, was holding a copy of The Oklahoman, so started the conversation by thanking him for keeping me employed. We continued talking and I found out that he’s been riding the bus since he was in a stroller. Well, not exactly. His mother used to commute through Metro Transit and would take him with her. Now he uses the service to get to and from work.

“It’s always on time,” he said. “They’re nice.”

Most of the passengers joked during the ride and pointed out restaurants and buildings along the way. There was a sense of familiarity because most of them had formed friendships by riding the same routes day after day.

Metro Transit driver Adrea Griffin, 48, of California, was on the bus as a passenger and said she applied at Metro Transit because she heard good things about the services provided.

“I enjoy meeting people every day,” Griffin said. “Some people feel safe because they know the driver is always on time.”

During the trip, bus operator Linda Robinson called out stops and said goodbye to passengers as they exited the bus, wishing them all a good day.

It was a nice trip, and I’m glad I had a chance to meet some of the passengers.

Photo by Tiffany Gibson: Adrea Griffin, 48, and Steve Burton, 48, pose for a picture on a Metro Transit bus.

]]> http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/2012/06/04/an-hour-with-metro-transit-passengers/feed/ 0 I-44 exit ramps reopen Tuesday http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/2011/10/11/i-44-exit-ramps-to-remain-closed-tuesday/ http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/2011/10/11/i-44-exit-ramps-to-remain-closed-tuesday/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:22:22 +0000 Tiffany Gibson http://blog.newsok.com/breakingnews/?p=2818

Exit ramps between Classen Boulevard and Interstate 44 were reopened Tuesday afternoon.

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Exit ramps between Classen Boulevard and Interstate 44 were reopened Tuesday afternoon.

The westbound I-44 exit ramp to Classen Boulevard and the eastbound entrance ramp from Classen to I-44 were closed all day Monday, said Cole Hackett, an Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman.

“We knew with that rain coming in this weekend that these problems might come up,” Hackett said. “We were doing some inspections in that area about a month ago. Where it is supposed to drain, there is a pipe. We noticed the flow wasn’t very good. Once we looked into it, we realized that pipe had been damaged and was pinched off where no water could get through there.”

Crews were able to pump the water out of the area and clear the ramps.

Photo by Paul Southerland: Westbound off ramp and eastbound on ramp to I-44 closed at Classen Boulevard due to flooding from weekend rains in Oklahoma City Monday, Oct 10, 2011.

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