In reality, it is going to be implemented in an area of entertainment and will probably have as much true transportation value as the “river taxis.” (Remember how they were to link downtown/Bricktown with the Meridian entertainment/hotel district?) According to letstalktransit.com, the closest a streetcar would come to the people around Douglass High School is about a mile! And if they do hike the mile to Lincoln Boulevard to catch it, will it take them to a large grocery store, the airport or to areas of large employment?
No. There are not any grocery stores in downtown/Bricktown. I guess they could, hopefully, take the streetcar to the river taxis, take it to Meridian and then take another transportation means to the airport from there. That would probably be a three-hour trip, though.
Would it take them to places of likely employment? I would reckon that most who work downtown are degreed professionals, not likely to live in northeast Oklahoma City. In reality, the rail streetcar system will do little to serve the poor, impoverished and the relatively few in OKC that do not have a vehicle.
—Randy Burghart
Oklahoma City
