Rick Mullaney Unveils Plan for Jacksonville

[stjr]

However, unlike you or the handful of anti skyway people who hated it before it got built, they don't blame the system itself, they blame the incompetence that surrounds it.

Stephen, this an unsupported conclusion of yours viewed through rose tinted glasses.  LOL.  It is, to many more than you will ever admit to, an incompetent system built by incompetent people.  That's how we get a 90+% failure rate and very little political will to move forwards with it.  But, continue to delude yourself with dreams of Skyway grandeur.    In the mean time, precious resources and political capital are diverted from buses, streetcars, commuter rail, etc.  Fiddling while Rome burns.

[Actionville]

Make the train to nowhere go somewhere! Perhaps using those relatively attractive and unobtrusive light rail beams

[Captain Zissou]

honestly I don't care for his points.  He is playing off his conservative agenda.  I am a liberal and I will vote for a Republican if I like what they have to say.  I am not hearing it from this guy.  If he has something to prove to his party and constituents then he will continue to put party before problem-solving.  His point on the skyway is proof of this.  Instead of solving a problem he wants to tear it down.  I can keep going on, but I really think Lake did a great job covering it. 

It is my understanding that he doesn't want to tear it down, just suspend operations.  I'm not in favor of either option, but suspending operations is better than tearing it down. 

STJR, I see why you're saying what you are, but you're wrong.  If you spent too much money building the frame of a bike with handlebars, front fork, gears and brakes, but didn't put wheels on it, you wouldn't scrap the bike.  You'd pony up some more cash to make the bike effective, even if it meant going over your already exhausted budget.  The current skyway is a bike without wheels.  Yes, we spent too much money already, but without additional cash outlay, it will never be effective.  The skyway has to go where it will be used for it to ever gain more riders.

It is in this light that I think Mullaney is right.  Currently the skyway doesn't go far enough to be effective, but we can't afford to expand it right now.  Rather than dismantle it, suspend operations to free up additional funds until we are able to expand it and get it up and running again.  If he does suspend operations, I'd love to see that 8 million a year either go into a mass transit (no buses) fund, a fund for capital improvements for the skyway specifically, or into the downtown area that the skyway would serve.  If the money went to adding infill and density to the areas around the stations, that would be a win-win for when operations resumed.

Keep in mind, I'm not for suspending operations.

[Ocklawaha]

So they start tearing it down, its not an overnight job, for months the mess is all over downtown . They haul out the junk, take down the bents and panels, remove roofs, lift beams, disconnect electric, removes millions of dollars of high tech circuitry, strip the barn of components, repair the streets and sidewalks... MONTHS. During that long period virtually every citizen from 8 to 80 will be intimately familiar and accustomed to answering "why?" Of course its because, "People in this town love their cars too much and won't use mass transit..."

Next refund the Federal Government $186 Million as required by the FTA and as demonstrated by the recent Wisconsin, Ohio High Speed Rail disaster.

After that go before the city and tell Jacksonville you want $100 million to build a streetcar system... Tell the Federal Government that you need an $800 million dollar grant for the same.

See how far you get.


OCKLAWAHA

[fieldafm]

Shutting down the skyway is a message that reasonates well with people in Jacksonville.

But, those very same people think that the city constructed it and pays for it all by itself.  Which isn't true.

Nationwide the crime rate is dropping... but when you poll people, something like 76% of people polled say that the crime rate is rising and is a serious problem.

Its all about perception, which is why the city has not moved forward over the last 8 years.  If perception is not changed, we will get a new mayor that is just more of the same.

That is why we need a mayor who has a solid vision and can inspire people to make it happen.

I very much agree and very much disagree with a lot of these aforementioned points.

Case in point... the term 'privatizing the IT dept costing the city 55million' sounds great.  'Let's cut out the waste' people would scream when hearing this... but frankly the 'technology' we get from that 55 million sucks and is archaic.  

You want to make a real savings and create a user-friendly functional IT network in this city?  Well, opening up a shareware program to program developers and fostering partnerships with such companies as Cisco and Google would be a BIG start.  Do you know the kind of government interaction both citizens and businesses can participate in electronically better and for cheaper in other places???  I hope to put something together soon that highlights this.  

[fsujax]

If this happens Jacksonville can kiss any Federal money goodbye for any other mode of transit, commuter rail, streetcar, whatever! I dont think he fully understands the implications of doing this. Who are his transportation advisors? maybe the message needs to be better articulated.

[Doctor_K]

Its all about perception,

Amen. 

And, to stjr's point, it's also about awareness and education.  The "overall non-MJ community" is uninformed - either by choice (stubbornness) or by ignorance.

The overall non-MJ community doesn't know any better and probably doesn't care, past the "tear it down!" bumper sticker slogans.

[Jimmy]

The overall non-MJ community doesn't know any better and probably doesn't care, past the "tear it down!" bumper sticker slogans.

Listen to the doctor.  He speaks the truth.  This kind of document counts on the uninformed being motivated by fear, uncertainty, and doubt.  Instead of playing to people's fears and misperceptions, I wish candidates would educate and elevate. 

[fsujax]

The Skyway had 545,709 riders in FY2010. This ranks as JTA's 6th highest route in terms of ridership.

[Doctor_K]

The Skyway had 545,709 riders in FY2010. This ranks as JTA's 6th highest route in terms of ridership.

I wonder how many additional riders/ridership numbers weren't captured due to those lovely oft-broken turnstiles?

[Captain Zissou]

^ You can add about 10 rides from me.  I've been forced to jump the turnstiles more times than I've gone through correctly due to my quarters not being recognized. 10+ for my roommate as well.  I'm sure there are tens of thousands of them.

[fsujax]

well, no doubt some rides are not captured, so the numbers could be higher.

[Doctor_K]

^ You can add about 10 rides from me.  I've been forced to jump the turnstiles more times than I've gone through correctly due to my quarters not being recognized. 10+ for my roommate as well.  I'm sure there are tens of thousands of them.

--nod--   Plus at least 4 from me for the exact same reason - that's the reason I brought it up.

[Actionville]

So the original route would run right down Bay Street apparently. I'm trying to envision how that would interact with those historic buildings like Dyal Upchurch and Baywater Square. Into Riverside, San Marco springfield would mesh nicely though

[Garden guy]

Again..deregulation and no taxes...you can't get blood out of a turnip...I'll not be voting for Mr. Muallaney.....I'd like to hear from him that noone he know would ever get a contract with this city...i'm sick of deals being made behind closed doors and under the table. Watch out for the good ole boys..they eat locals for lunch...