Almost a decade ago, my family and I were visiting friends in Irving, Texas, when it was decided that we would all go to downtown Dallas to visit the Sixth Floor Museum.
The most likely route would have taken us on busy, congested freeways into downtown, and then hunt for parking.
So, we found a better alternative.
We took a train into Big D on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit — DART — light rail line. The station was much closer than downtown and offered a large park-and-ride lot.
The Green Line DART train delivered us to the downtown West End Station in a matter of minutes without the frustration and stress of negotiating traffic and looking for parking. Fare was roughly $6 per person for a day pass, which allowed us to hop on and hop off at will.
We spent much of the afternoon exploring downtown Dallas, then took the train back to our car.
It was nirvana for me, because I love all things rail and mass transit in general.
I’ve written all of this because of an article I read in The Oklahoman last week that outlined the vision for OKC metro light rail. The article said that ONE Transit, the agency responsible for developing a light rail line from Edmond through downtown OKC and south to Norman, has hired a consultant for the project. Read it here.
Here are some key stats from The Oklahoman article: “The system would run 38 miles along the BNSF railroad corridor, with board members estimating capital costs between $700-$800 million.”
ONE Transit is led by former Gov. Brad Henry, which to me adds credibility to the ambitious plan. I’ve always seen Gov. Henry as a go-getter who gets things done.
However, the ONE Transit rail project faces some gigantic hurdles. No. 1 will be figuring out how to finance nearly $1 billion to upgrade rail lines, buy equipment, set up stations, etc.
As I see it, No. 2 hurdle will be getting buy-in from communities like Edmond, Moore and Norman that would have to contribute dollars to participate in the plan.
The No. 3 hurdle is convincing car-loving Oklahomans across the OKC metro to support the concept of rail — and mass transit in general. (Side note: someone once told me that the average Edmond resident would rather be seen coming out of Christie’s Toy Box than waiting at a bus stop.)
It’s an immense task, but one that I think is do-able, because they got it done in the DFW metro during the 1980s. DART overcame opposition from a large minority of residents who were resistant to rail and wanted instead to build more highways.
More highways and toll roads were also built, but DFW roads are just as congested today, from what I’ve experienced.
Meanwhile, DART operates four separate rail lines and covers 93 miles of the DFW metro. It is part of a DFW system that also includes a separate line from downtown Dallas to Fort Worth and another light rail line from Fort Worth to DFW Airport.
Despite operating successfully for more than 30 years, DART still faces criticism from participating communities about the ongoing financial burden. Some towns threatened or held ballot initiatives to exit the DART system this spring, although I think Highland Park was the only one that voted to end relationship with the transit system.
DART officials promised to add more board members from suburban communities.
Anyway, I’m all in on regional rail in the OKC metro. I would love to be able to some day park my car near Edmond’s downtown, board a ONE Transit train and ride it into downtown OKC before exiting and walking into the new arena to watch a Thunder game.
I can dream!
I hope that my fellow Edmond citizens, as well as our central Oklahoma neighboring communities will support it. Studies have shown that economic development flourishes near rail transit stations.
As my friend Steve Buck said after reading The Oklahoman’s story on ONE Transit’s regional rail vision, “I still believe this is the way.”
It can happen.
BONUS CONTENT: The Oklahoman story reported that a group of ONE Transit officials recently visited Salt Lake City to tour that metro’s light rail system, which apparently has been super successful.
From the article: “The system, which runs from Provo through Salt Lake City, to Ogden, has generated more than 40 million annual riders and attracted $10 billion in private investment around transit stations since 1999.”
DOUBLE BONUS CONTENT: In a related topic, I wrote this blog post a couple years ago after reading Jeff Speck’s book, “The Walkable City.” The book focuses on building a vibrant downtown and neighborhoods that offer access to mass transit and encourage biking and walking. Read it here.
Jim Stafford's BlogOKC 