Are JTA's Priorities Off-Track?

[Metro Jacksonville]

Are JTA's Priorities Off-Track?



Metro Jacksonville takes a look at the proposed Jacksonville Transportation Center and wonders if JTA's priorities for a new office building are in the right place?

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-feb-are-jtas-priorities-off-track

[Noone]

I agree. Is there legislation that is pending that would fast track this before the next city council and Mayor will have any input?

[Jaxson]

The current $180 million transportation center plan has been on the drawing board for over a decade. Part of the reason it is struggling to move forward is the fact that JTA needs $50 million for phase 1, which includes a new 90,000 square foot office building.  Removing this albatross would allow economic stimulating parts of the plan, such as returning Amtrak to downtown, to move forward.

What kind of brain trust is running the JTA?    It seems to be an obvious choice for them to begin moving forward with what is easiest to implement.  Instead, they are dragging their feet because they are planning yet another boondoggle that makes them feel good about themselves.  In the meantime, we force Amtrak passengers to keep using facilities that could be best described as a rathole in the middle of nowhere.  This is disgusting and shameful!!!

Days like this make me totally give up on our local transportation planners because they couldn't even manage to spell 'CAT' even if we spotted them the 'C' and the 'T.'   

[Captain Zissou]

I am 100% for this building, on one condition.  JTA is FORBIDDEN to build a single parking space on site for one of their employees.  They have a one hundred million dollar skyway driving straight to their front door, why would they need a parking lot??

The fact that they put a parking lot on the first floor of their building shows just how moronic, inept, delusional, and regressive these guys really are.  The entire entity makes me sick to my stomach.

[thelakelander]

My thought is along the same path.  It would involve purchasing or leasing an existing building in the heart of the Northbank, adjacent or within a block or so of a skyway station.  Employees could then use the skyway to access JTA's park & ride lots at the transportation center.  Just another form of increasing transit usage with our existing infrastructure while working to reestablish density in the downtown core at the same time.

[Ocklawaha]

What kind of brain trust is running the JTA?    It seems to be an obvious choice for them to begin moving forward with what is easiest to implement.  Instead, they are dragging their feet because they are planning yet another boondoggle that makes them feel good about themselves.  In the meantime, we force Amtrak passengers to keep using facilities that could be best described as a rathole in the middle of nowhere.  This is disgusting and shameful!!!

Using "brain trust" and "JTA," in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

You are correct that bringing  70,728 people downtown to hang out and wait for a train can't be a bad thing. That number may double when we get our station out from under a highway overpass and away from the surrounding junk yards. With the FEC route coming back we'll easily top the 100,000 mark.

My thought is along the same path.  It would involve purchasing or leasing an existing building in the heart of the Northbank, adjacent or within a block or so of a skyway station.  Employees could then use the skyway to access JTA's park & ride lots at the transportation center.  Just another form of increasing transit usage with our existing infrastructure while working to reestablish density in the downtown core at the same time.

I'm sure JTA and the TPO would argue that having the office and Skyway terminal in the same location will increase ridership on the Skyway. This artificial ridership will make things look good on a nearly useless spur of the system. A spur that will remain useless until they open the station as a station and quit pretending it is a convention center. Imagine if that same effort had been made to connect Baptist and Aetna, what would the ridership be? 

A little off track perhaps, but if JTA really wanted to help the Jacksonville Terminal spur become useful, all they have to do is get it over I-95 to either the farmers market or Durkeeville where there is some collector function to the ridership.


OCKLAWAHA
I thought drawing them a picture might help...

[stjr]

The entire project is on par with the abominable design of the new courthouse.  It needs to be ripped up and restarted.  We have previously disected the litany of short comings this monstrosity brings to the table.

The City of Jax needs to impose itself on these projects.  JTA is a bunch of clueless urban sprawl road building engineers.  And, its management is all about promoting itself.  I am sure JTA wanted a new building ever since the Jax Airport Authority built its unnecessary monument to itself at the airport.

Here is an idea:  Put Rick Scott in charge of JTA.  It is the one agency he can abolish and no one would shed a tear.  In fact, we should ask our mayoral candidates to ponder the future of JTA as it currently operates and to make a campaign issue out it.

If there is a silver lining to government budget shortfalls, it's the lack of funds to move this project forward in its current form.

[Captain Zissou]

Wow.  I wholly concur, STJR.  Wholly Concur!

You don't hear those words too often.

[stjr]

Wow.  I wholly concur, STJR.  Wholly Concur!

You don't hear those words too often.

Wonder if they are suitable for framing? 

Stephen, JTA should really be concerned when we can form such an unholy alliance regarding their demise!  As I have said before, we mostly align on transit issues with one notable exception.  When I convince you on that topic the world will finally be at peace.   

[dougskiles]

Here is an idea:  Put Rick Scott in charge of JTA.  It is the one agency he can abolish and no one would shed a tear.  In fact, we should ask our mayoral candidates to ponder the future of JTA as it currently operates and to make a campaign issue out it.

He is to some degree in charge with the power to appoint 3 of the 7 board members directly and the power to appoint the FDOT District 2 secretary as the 7th member.  Because it is a state agency, perhaps he actually could abolish the organization and turn the transit managing responsibility over to the City of Jacksonville.  Of course these are the same people who brought us Parking Garage-ville, so I'm not convinced it would be an improvement.

Here is a list of the current board members:

Michael Cavendish, Chairman (was appointed by Crist in 2007)
Edward Burr, Vice Chairman (appointed by Crist - website doesn't list when)
Cleve Warren, Treasurer (appointed by Peyton - website doesn't list when)
Alan Mosley, Secretary (FDOT District 2 Secretary)
Steve Diebenow, Board Member (appointed by Peyton in 2010)
Donna Harper, Board Member (re-appointed by Crist in 2010 - incidentally this is her second stint; she was on from 1999 to 2007)
Ava Parker, Board Member (appointed by Peyton in 2007)

The next mayor will have the opportunity to appoint at least 1 replacement in their first year.  Rick Scott has at least one coming up this year, also.

[jaxlore]

Donna Harper, Board Member (re-appointed by Crist in 2010 - incidentally this is her second stint; she was on from 1999 to 2007)

Anybody who has been on the board for that long around here needs to go!

[urbaknight]

All of JTA management should be fired and replaced with competent people.

[wsansewjs]

I got my pitchfork ready! Just tell me where to start poking those sorry asses!

By the way, you know what is funny about the map image? It reminds me of the Titanic's bow. So let the irony fall in its place.

-Josh

[Jaxson]

I got my pitchfork ready! Just tell me where to start poking those sorry asses!

By the way, you know what is funny about the map image? It reminds me of the Titanic's bow. So let the irony fall in its place.

-Josh

Amen to that!  JTA, in my humble opinion, seems to be utterly useless except to make other cities' transit systems look progressive by comparison...

[Ocklawaha]

Thanx wsansewjs