A Glimpse of our Future?
The following guest blog is by Jeff Bezdek, who along with the Modern Transit Project led in advocacy of including a downtown streetcar system as part of MAPS 3. Due to some difficulties on photo uploads, the post was delayed a bit – but the post is still very timely.
“People like buses if they don’t have to ride them.
People like streetcars because they are not buses.”
Marilyn Strickland- Mayor of Tacoma
Dear Oklahoma City,
I am writing you from the dining car of the Amtrak Coast Starlight train. It’s been a busy few days meeting with transit officials in Seattle and Tacoma about their streetcars. I am on my way to Portland to tour their system now.
I had never been to Tacoma. Now I know why of former museum director, the late Carolyn Hill, fell in love with this place. Chihuly glass seems to be everywhere. The streetcar stops right in front of one of his biggest displays, the “bridge of glass” spanning across I-705. Oklahoma City has already gained a great deal from this “sister” city, importing some of the best North American art from this master. Perhaps the modern streetcar will be the next exciting marvel.
Coming here reminds me why we are doing this. Tacoma surprisingly has many other similarities other than the glass. It too uprooted its historic passenger rail facility for a highway. It too succumbed to the seductiveness of the automobile. The grand Union Station building still stands but has been repurposed for a federal courthouse. The city lost its inner core of vitality to the suburbs. The city transit service was compromised and quickly stigmatized.
The transit authority realized that the only way to entice new riders was to provide a superior mode of travel. Officials knew they needed something equally as seductive as the automobile. They chose the literally foreign concept of a modern streetcar. A company manufactured the cars in 2002 in the Czech Republic.
The Tacoma city council was so concerned about the potential excavation of their Main Street and the appearance of that “danged” overhead wire; they told the Sound Transit officials they had made their choice. The streetcar was to go down the “run down, back alley, abandoned store lined” street one block away from prized Main.
This early description permeated my thoughts as the brightly colored streetcar cheerfully greeted me with a “clang” of electronic bells and twinkling lights. Whirring up to a clearly marked stop, one can walk directly on board without impediment. Inside is bright and airy. A gong rings and an automated voice reminiscent of “anyone’s mother” welcomes you and tells you where “she’s” heading. You can see in nearly all directions through large glass windows. The operator is clearly visible behind a tinted glass door operating a console of lights, push buttons, and levers.
Tacoma officials made accommodations for me to ride in the cab with our operator, Jerry. Jerry expertly operated the controls with an animated flourish. He explained to me that he was a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe engineer. He told me that operating the streetcar was “one of the best experiences of his life.” In the cab we had a clear view of the entire exterior and interior of the train from strategically positioned cameras that displayed on a flat LCD screen. With a push of a button, he had the oncoming traffic signals at his command enabling him to “slice” through traffic to the next stop.
A family from a nearby suburb was down for the day with their grand kids. They had a bunch of kids. They told me that they would drive downtown, get on the streetcar for the Sunday, and let the streetcar take them to the latest sites, and there were many. The street was lined with gift shops, clothing stores, coffee shops, art galleries, and other businesses. I was shocked at how many people were “getting away” to downtown on a Sunday.
The transit officials explained that they understood the demand and responded to it. The streetcar went to the Chihuly glass, it went to their arena, it went to their businesses, and it went directly to their new convention center. In fact, it stopped directly across from it. When asked how they dealt with the crowds, they explained that they had a great working relationship with the police who would clear the way on foot with their whistles enabling the streetcars to get through the crush of pedestrians during events. They would send extra cars and “load up” as many people as they could get onboard headed to the parking garages and restaurants.
Over the day, I got off and on at various stops. It was on time, every time. When the digital board at the stops said it was coming, it came. A writer for the student newspaper of the University of Washington Tacoma branch wrote “The Link (that’s their name for the streetcar) will take off in the middle of your sprint for the door and not bother to look back to see you crying in the rain. Not to worry, another Link will be along in ten minutes.”
The Tacoma city council was shocked beyond belief when the floundering street flourished. Some wish now that the streetcar now looped onto Main too. Story after success story has followed my travels thus far. Tonight I will arrive in the “transit Mecca”, Portland, Oregon. I have talked with mayors, transit officials, planners, engineers, construction superintendants, manufacturers, train operators, and riders. There’s more to come, and possibly an exciting surprise for Oklahoma City.
Mayor Cornett once commented, “We surely don’t want a tourist ride.” I agree. This has to be a real and purposeful transit system. But a trip on Tacoma’s streetcar had every child onboard glowing and a few adults too.
Thank you for joining our conversation on OKC Central. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.
Comments
Personal favorite light rail experience: getting from the Minneapolis airport to the downtown hotel, and then back out to Mall of America, all for $1.50. Another conference attendee spent $40 for the cab ride downtown. Also, the train was absolutely packed heading into town; obviously popular with Twins fans going to the game.
Sorry for the dumb question, but this “streetcar” looks almost exactly like the “light rail” I’ve ridden in Phoenix and Denver. Is there a technical difference between the two terms, or is it just more politically friendly to say “streetcar” because it maybe sounds less invasive to the city core? I want it either way, based on my experiences in those cities. Just trying to understand the distinction in the vocabulary.
Great post and thanks for the really good feedback from your trip.
Question, it looks like these are normal people riding in the streetcar. Now, we know from watching the news and listening to the radio that normal folks don’t ride transit. So my question is, how much did you have to pay these happy people to ride the streetcar for this photo?
Joking aside, thanks again. I can’t wait to ride our own!
Yes, Lee, there will be some things coming up and the MAPS subcommittee is about to get busy.
Ms. Wilson, are you asking about JFK neighborhood?
Sure Shawn. Streetcar is a form of light rail.
Here’s how we defined it on the MTP website.
Is streetcar the same as light rail?
Streetcars are related to “light rail” transit; the difference is that streetcars are smaller, lighter, less expensive, and usually run in traffic, rather than in their own exclusive right of way. Powered by quiet electric motors, these vehicles use a simple pole, the pantograph, to collect power from an electrified wire that is suspended approximately 20 feet over the lane in which the streetcar runs.
Perhaps more importantly, streetcars and light rail transit serve different trip purposes and transportation needs. Light rail transit services primarily serve long haul commuter trips, and streetcars are primarily designed to connect local areas with more frequent stops. In addition, outside downtown areas light rail requires a dedicated right-of-way. The street provides the right-of-way for streetcars.
Thanks for the clarification.
In Denver, the light rail is definitely off on it’s own right of way. In Phoenix, there is still a right of way, but the separation is less obvious. I’ve seen streetcars in other cities such as Toronto, and while they’re called streetcars by TTC, they look like buses on rails. Also the TTC streetcar right of way looks a lot like the Phoenix light rail right of way. It threw me off to see “streetcars” look like light rail cars. That I hadn’t seen yet.
Hate to be so cynical, but let’s not get too excited yet. I can see it now, “Due to rising and unexpected costs, Oklahoma City will downgrade the proposed MAPS streetcar project. Instead of the new streetcars, all of the current trolleys will be given tune-ups and new tires. In addition, new routes will be introduced to the downgraded Convention Center, south of the Oklahoma City Arena, as well as to the iconic ten foot wide pedestrian bridge that at one time was going to include a sculpture rising into the sky.”
Cynical or realistic? History has this annoying way of repeating itself. It is the original MAPS all over again…
While not a MAPS 3 project, the most recent example already mentioned, the SkyDancer bridge (almost 4 times the amount originally suggested). Then there is the $40 million “mistake” with the Trails portion of MAPS 3.
I am keeping my fingers crossed but the MAPS 3 streetcars are already costing 8 times more than the streetcars (not the rubber tired trolleys we ended up with), of the original MAPS.
Larry, the rail trolley can’t be compared to the Maps 3 modern streetcar.
I do share your concerns regarding costs, particularly regarding potential missed opportunities in Project 180.
However, we have a good committee who is enthusiastic and ready to get busy. More to come soon.
Thanks for the clarification (light rail vs. streetcars). I was also confusing those two things when I commented earlier.
Just curious though, are there any dreams or plans for the streetcar system to expand into a light rail system connecting various suburbs and hot-spots around the city?
The streetcar is the “nucleus” of a regional plan involving commuter rail to Norman, Moore, Del City, Midwest City, Tinker AFB, and Edmond.
We are currently pursuing the necessary process to pursue federal funding for an expanded modern streetcar system.
…..”There’s more to come, and possibly an exciting surprise for Oklahoma City.”……..
^^Jeff, Why did you place this in your blog?
You already have us excited reading about Tacoma and the future for Okc and you tease us with this!?! j/k.
I hope the surprise is good and that we don’t have to wait 10 years to actually ride on streetcars in Okc?
Great blog, keep up the good work.