Brady Fairfield Inn Breaks Ground

The Brady Fairfield Inn officially broke ground today, although construction has been ongoing for several weeks now. It will front Main between Archer and Brady and will have 104 rooms, as well as about 11,000 sq ft of retail space. Now let's hope that we can get some nice stores as opposed to restaurants in there. I think downtown has enough restaurants for now, what it really needs are some cool stores. Anyways, this is an exciting project adding to the rapidly developing Brady District.

Notice the Poll---------->>>>>>

I know that there are a lot of readers that don't vote on the polls. I really encourage you to do so. I enjoy your participation, and it helps me come up with post ideas.

Thank you very much for your following of my blog.

Transportation-What should we do?

Transportation is a topic that frequently arises when discussing urbanism. It is definitely an important subject. It can also be a very sensitive subject, espescially here in Oklahoma. Right now I think we should discuss the future of transportation in Tulsa. Where should money be spent? What improvements should be made? Ultimately, since we live in America, the decision is up to us, the citizenry. (Well, at least you old people that can vote...)

For many years there have been lengthy discussions both in person and online over public transportation in Tulsa, with both sides making good points. There are those who hate public transit, and argue against it in every way, as well as avid supporters who would do away with their automobile completely. My viewpoint is somewhere in the middle, as I would assume most people's are.

As of now, we have a failing public transit system by way of bus. They have random schedules, and what little structure there is still implements infrequent stops, with passengers sometimes waiting over an hour for a single bus. This is flat out unacceptable. A city our size should be able to have buses running at the very most 20 minutes apart, with that wait time preferably being less than ten in the more centralized districts of Tulsa. This needs to be dealt with. Our current transit system isn't making anyone's life any easier.

So what in my opinion should be done? Well, the first step is already complete, we have developed a plan. That's a great start, and we should begin to implement aspects of that plan as soon as possible. But if it were all up to me, I would spend for the next five years about 80% of the public transit budget on improving bus service. Theoretically this could be done in a matter of only a couple of months, and we could have improved transit almost immediately. After that, I would take actions to build streetcars through Tulsa's inner city. The first routes would be down eleventh street between TU and downtown, and down sixth street connecting TU, the Pearl District, and downtown. They would connect on the west end on Harvard and on Boulder in the east. Once those had been completed, I would then build a line from Veterans Park in Uptown Going all the way up and connecting to the Brady District. This line would thus connect with the other line on Boulder, and would be able to circulate people from the neighborhood around TU through the Pearl, downtown, and uptown/18th and Boston area. Further rail lines would then be added elsewhere in the city based on needs at that point in time.

Now, I realize that this is just my point of view, and I don't want it to be. I want to hear all of your ideas as well, so please participate in this discussion. Remember, the first step to change is gathering ideas.

So I ask:
What should be done in Tulsa, Oklahoma about public transit?