Growing Debate Over Transit, MAPS 3 Streetcar System
Whether or not one agrees with the various stances taken by Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid, a couple of fundamentals are certainly indisputable. First, the man goes out of his way to bring national speakers to town, even at his own expense, to introduce outside views and thinking into local discussions about our city’s development and well being. And more often than not, most of these presentations draw hundreds of residents. Another observation, proven by this most recent presentation by transit researcher and author Jarrett Walker, is that Shadid seems to have no problem introducing ideas that risk alienating his own base. Have no doubt, despite the applause you hear in these videos, notable and very vocal advocates of the streetcar project who have dominated the public discussion to date and were a part of Shadid’s base, are not very happy with challenges to their assumptions aired in this presentation.
I won’t attempt to portray their arguments, or those by Shadid or Walker. Instead, it’s time to let folks’ views be aired in these videos and in the comment discussion I’m sure will ensue.
Have no doubt, this whole discussion does matter when it comes to the future of Oklahoma City’s urban core.
Public Transit Town Hall – Ed Shadid from Ed Shadid on Vimeo.
Public Transportation OKC – Jarrett Walker from Ed Shadid on Vimeo.
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
I am in favor of a system that does not need the infrastructure of steel rails. In the ground rails is ignorant/backwards thinking as it ties you to a particular route. Rubber wheeled alternatives offer better flexibility. Frankly all this nostalgia in public projects is tiresome antics of the low/no information voter.
in a nutshell, if you don’t build a system that people will use, it will fail. people in northeast okc are most likely to use sidewalks and transit, but there is nothing there for them. same with capitol hill. i love rail, but it is costly. meantime, let’s build a convention center nobody wants in the wrong place, connected to a boulevard with a bridge.
The unfortunate result of Councilman Shadid’s efforts is that he seems to be creating division between groups who are essentially on the same page about transit. What we need is better transit everywhere, and multi-modal transit. The best way to accomplish that is with creation of a regional transit district and a dedicated funding source for all transit. Our city is too spread out for buses to ever be an acceptable means of transit to work for many. Bus rapid transit is as expensive as rail. We need commuter rail for longer distance commuting, buses for short distances and at least a Midtown to Bricktown/Deep Deuce rapid circulator for ease of access between housing, businesses, hotels and attractions in the greater downtown area. Voters voted for a streetcar and we need to give them one. That was my primary reason for voting in favor of MAPS, and polling showed I was not alone. But that doesn’t mean any of us should stop working towards significant improvement of our overall transit system.
trips to san francisco and new orleans have shown me that buses can be an attractive form of transportation, and play a vital role in those systems. buses are MUCH less expensive on the front end. for rail to succeed, it’s going to have to either connect two big traffic generators, or circulate traffic in a highly congested area. we don’t have the second scenario in okc, thanks in part to the conncourse.
I have figured out that Councilman Shadid values public debate and dialogue more than anything else. He is elevating the dialogue and bringing it to the public forum, rather than keeping it with the experts. We all want a transportation that works and is sustainable. These public forums are asking those tough questions.
I just dont understand why we cant have both. We need better bus systems in place for the more walk able areas if the city, Downtown, Bricktown, Moore, Midtown , Etc Etc. We need a light rail to connect those small bus systems. What seems stupid to me is to have a rail system where it cannot attract a large range of travelers. Buses do can do better for the rail’s proposed area. Where the rail needs to be is parallel to I-35 and I-40, I-240 to bring people closer to the dense areas. The way OKC is doing it is ass-backwards. Dallas should be the blueprint for this as they just “got it”. They are creating a more dense bus system in the populated walk-able areas and using the train to connect those areas.
I also want to acknowledge that many of the points expressed in this forum have changed my perspective on the future of transit in Oklahoma City. I wish this information was available to us a few years earlier. The question I am asking myself is…Do we build a chic, sexy circulator so yuppies can feel cool or do we build something that invites our diverse populace to use it as a real mode of transport?
The city needs to start to make an effort to build sidewalks and trails for commuters, not just exercisers. I’ve assembled a list of “missing sidewalks”: http://okcforem.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8
The full list is under 2 miles at this point and would provide kids access to libraries, the underclass access to jobs, and connect neighborhoods to one another. I’ve written to Ed several times on this issue and will continue to do so. Post your own missing sidewalks if you want!
OKC needs to improve its bus system, which is one of the lowest funded in the USA. And they have an urgent need to add Sunday bus service.