Comments on: Riverboat Gamble?

By: John R> "Radar" Doyle

John R> "Radar" Doyle — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:08:47 +0000

The fleet of River Boats should be compared to a baby; born to a well-intended, but dysfunctiofamily.

The baby is cute, real cute. But the family has not created a happy home to raise and nurture this child.

This child’s parents, namely MetroTransit and the City of OKC, Have only built 1/2 of a crib near Boathouse Row. The 15th/Meridian landing is just a boat dock. There is hardly any, if any, connecting surface transit at either end.

Does this baby have any toys to play with? No. These boats are non-stop from end to end. Is there a stop at Agnew for Stockyards visitors? No. Wley Post Park? No. Is there anything else riverside for passengers to see while on board? No.

In order to raise this baby right, A conducive infrastructure must be in place. MAPS 3 money will help the East end of the run. But MetroTransit has to do a better job helping tourists and date-nighters make use of the cruises. And, private developers should begin work on South Bank attractions for these passengers. We already know the North Bank will be full of I-40 views.

The baby is born. Now what?

By: Roger O

Roger O — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:09:14 +0000

spot on Mr. Ball.

By: david ball

david ball — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:52:19 +0000

when it connects bricktown (and by extension, downtown okc) with the airport (via bus/trolley?), it will succeed. not before.

wait, let me back up. when any idiot who has never been to okc and has done no prior research on how to get around on local transit can actually get back and forth between the airport and bricktown/ downtown promptly based on what he finds at the parking lot, THEN it will succeed.

this is based on my own experience with the trolleys. i drove to bass pro with my daughter, watched the trolly pull away as i got there, found no information, drove to the trolley terminal to find….NOTHING in the way of information, gave up, and drove to the museum of art and cafe. and didn’t spend a dime in bricktown as a result, i might add… (that cafe is PRICEY, but nice).

hope you don’t find this off topic, but after that experience i’m reluctant to risk it again until i have reliable reports that an out-of-towner can find the system usable and convenient. right now, it looks like the river boats are becoming tourist cruises instead of a transportation option.

By: Michael Herndon

Michael Herndon — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:31:10 +0000

It seems we’ve had a drought as of late in terms of exciting new developments.

In regards to the story, this is expected news I bet for a lot of people. I imagine the “plunging” in ridership also has to do with the fact that these boats have lost the excitement of being a new and dazzling feature for the river. Not as many people are interested anymore.