I‘m starting to think Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt likes trains. A champion and occasional rider of the downtown street car, he is now eyeing commuter rail as the next big transportation option for the metro.
The Regional Transportation Authority wants to put three simultaneous ballot referenda up for election sometime in the next two years that would fund a commuter rail project servicing Oklahoma City, Edmond and Norman. The plan has many proponents in the city governments, including Holt, although he must focus on the vote regarding public funding for a proposed new Thunder arena.
Whenever it becomes time for RTA’s commuter rail campaign, the potential support of mayors from the three participating cities could be crucial. It sounds like Holt favors the idea, but I don’t know how vocal Edmond Mayor Darrell Davis and Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila might be. As for the public’s opinion on the idea? The jury is out, and most people probably want to learn more information about the proposal. For starters, when will a cost estimate or tax rate impact has been released?
As someone who travels from OKC to Norman for events, I personally find the idea to be exciting and a wonderful opportunity to increase local amenities for future population growth. However, this is Oklahoma, and we seem to love our cars and griping about parking, or lack thereof. It’s in our culture, so much so that the topic spurred my first comic on NonDoc back in 2015. (It was paired with a poem about trains, believe it or not.)
Anyway, if David Holt and others can cheerlead for this Edmond, Norman and OKC commuter rail vote, then I’d say it has a real chance.
Past Sundaze comics
Dunkin’ on each other for ‘Donuts with the Governor’
Oklahoma’s turnpike expansion plan faces road blocks
Easter Sundaze: Trying to save a dime in the egg aisle
Preserving Hafer Park memories: Welcome to paradise
Oklahoma’s Broadband Office and the mystery of missing meeting minutes
March Madness 2023: So your bracket is in shambles
Will the Oklahoma House lock in Daylight Saving Time?
SQ 820: We’ve got another election on our hands
Cockfighting fight turns back time at Oklahoma Capitol
Valentine voting: For the love of democracy
Last week on This Old Attorney General’s Office
Budget hearing previews the last ride of Mark McBride
Plenty of cooks in the Oklahoma education kitchen
Here’s looking at you, me: The two jobs of Ryan Walters
Compared to recent years, 2022 seemed tolerable
‘This is a BFD’: The romance of nuclear fusion heats up
Weird local rules mean extra Edmond elections
2022 World Cup draws cause cultural comparisons
Straight party voting throws quite a rager in Oklahoma
An ‘I voted’ sticker is the prize for enduring all these ads
Halloween can be a tough time to mind your diet
Answer the question? The art of political dodgeball
How hideous can the Ugly Season get before it’s over?
Down goes Dumpty: OKC Egg Church has a great fall
Many options for brand synergy in the OKC film industry
This season includes new adventures in OU tailgating
SQ 820: Don’t bogart that initiative petition, my friend
Appreciating a brief splash on OKC’s art timeline
New OKC arena proposal benefits from public discussion
Burn it down: Sun exacts revenge on Earth
Project Carrot: Oklahoma weighs battery plant options
Gov. Kevin Stitt asks Auditor Cindy Byrd for a TPS report
Epic affidavit makes for light reading over lunch
Recognize the old man’s wisdom this Father’s Day
What would convince Markwayne Mullin to debate?
Overtime: The match continues with special sessions
Professor Swadley and the cheese-melting machine
Call me Tag Agent: In Catoosa, a replacement steps up
Where Mother’s Day comes sweeping down the plain
It’s a tough life being ‘The Patriot’
