THE OFFICIAL MJ - JRTC READERS POLL

[Ocklawaha]

Okay Jaxson's here is you chance to be heard. The last readers poll was shared with the Transportation Transition Team and found its way to the highest levels of city government. The message for: 1. Streetcars, 2. Skyway Completion, was loud and clear and opened more then a few eyes. In fact the poll became the buzz.

Let's do it again and tell them what you really think of the JRTC, I will personally share this information with the City of Jacksonville, including your (printable - civil) comments.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

I voted other.  I think it should be condensed signficantly by eliminating the office building and all structured parking for starters.  In addition all mode operations should be no further north than the existing skyway station on Bay Street.  If they can fit into the existing building with the convention center still in place?  Fine.  If they can't, then build the bus platforms in the convention center's parking lot south of Bay or the strip of blocks around the skyway station bounded by I-95, Forsyth, Lee and Bay Streets.  In all options, the existing building's concourse and lobby should serve as a shared terminal for all modes.  I'd also favor setting a budget under $50 million and forcing the creation of a final solution that does not exceed that number.

[Doctor_K]

One building/complex, one block.  Two at most if absolutely essential.  As MJ articles and posters have proven ad nauseum, there is absolutely no reason it can't be done and there are PLENTY of other examples - especially from peer or near-peer cities - of how it can and should be done.  It ain't rocket science.

[tufsu1]

I had to go with "Other"...while the complex should be condensed significantly, I'm not sold that it all has to be (or even should be) in one building....I mean, the reality is the Skyway is already across the street, so using that block more fully is fine by me.

[iMarvin]

With the exception of the skyway, everything should be right next to the terminal (the convention center would be demolished). It's all been said before, but one large waiting room for all the modes of transportation. Put the bus terminals (including JTA) right behind Jacksonville Terminal on Bay St and connect the skyway with a skybridge. Get rid of the office building and don't add more parking. Keep the plaza where it was.

[kells904]

I like the suggestion on another thread about moving the convention center, temporarily, to the hotel space.  My guess is 'what'll we do with the convention center?' will be treated like a bigger problem than it really is, thus holding up progress on a decision on the JRTC.  We can pull out of the convention center game--that we're arguably not really in anyway--until we have a reason for people to choose Jacksonville for their conventions.  I also like the idea of giving them a price ceiling; it may force some actual thought be placed into the design.  Like you guys say all the time, there's already plenty of vacant office space and parking downtown, so there's absolutely no need to make more.

[Jaxson]

I like the suggestion on another thread about moving the convention center, temporarily, to the hotel space.  My guess is 'what'll we do with the convention center?' will be treated like a bigger problem than it really is, thus holding up progress on a decision on the JRTC.  We can pull out of the convention center game--that we're arguably not really in anyway--until we have a reason for people to choose Jacksonville for their conventions.  I also like the idea of giving them a price ceiling; it may force some actual thought be placed into the design.  Like you guys say all the time, there's already plenty of vacant office space and parking downtown, so there's absolutely no need to make more.

I totally agree.  The convention center should not be an obstacle to building a JRTC that makes sense.  I few months ago, I recommended that we at least move Amtrak to the Jacksonville Terminal building and then begin to move the convention center as plans unfold.  Another poster said that Amtrak should stay in its Amshack on Clifford Lane until the convention center moves.  Talk about stalling tactics.  Waiting for the convention center issue to be resolved will delay any real JRTC progress for another generation.   On the bright side, I will be eligible for a senior discount when I take Amtrak out of a downtown train station...

[Ocklawaha]

I voted with the majority here, keep it all in the historic station. REASON? The Skyway station is already across the street so it doesn't have to be built. There is nothing in keeping it in the original station to prevent platforms or curb cuts so we could line Bay and Forsyth to for that matter, with buses.

covered platforms, curb cuts, turnouts, parking, railroad track, pedestrian subways and concourses are not "new stations," merely the accouterments for one. We certainly don't have to build anything in the PO Box space and the only question would be how much of the 'box' would we want to remove before enclosing the balance into a more condensed building.

OCKLAWAHA

[malseedj]

I vote to move the Bus Station next to the existing AMTRAK Station.  Demolish the existing Bus Station and use the land for additional parking.  This will relieve the pressure for parking at the Landing.  This also helps to keep the bums and lowlifes away from downtown.

Send JTA to the top of the King Street Garage for their Operations Center.  We moved 1200 persons to modular buildings on Fort Belvoir, Virginia at an extremely low cost.  The buildings were made in Georgia and extremely energy efficient.  We set them in place with cranes.   There is more than the 60,000 Square feet JTA is requesting available on the top floor of the parking Garage.  I firmly believe that figure is bloated by a factor of two.

Jacksonville's Downtown is long gone. A better move would be to demolish the old buildings and use the spaces generated for open space or a planned redevelopment with parking as other areas of the city have to offer.

John Malseed
771-6343

[Dog Walker]

No, no.  The JTA offices should be in modular buildings at Cecil Field, but the employees should be required to park in the garage downtown and ride a bus to Cecil.

[thelakelander]

I vote to move the Bus Station next to the existing AMTRAK Station.  Demolish the existing Bus Station and use the land for additional parking.  This will relieve the pressure for parking at the Landing.  This also helps to keep the bums and lowlifes away from downtown.

Good grief!  I'm sorry, but the last thing DT needs is more surface parking.  I'm in the few, but I see the current Greyhound bus station as one of the only spots in DT with actually life.  Also, its time to move past the idea of relating public transportation to bums and lowlifes.  Removing Greyhound from the current location will have no impact on the amount of vagrants in downtown.  Here are a couple of Greyhound stations in peer cities.  Notice a difference in quality then what we have locally?

Milwaukee




Salt Lake City


Fort Worth


St. Louis

Send JTA to the top of the King Street Garage for their Operations Center.  We moved 1200 persons to modular buildings on Fort Belvoir, Virginia at an extremely low cost.  The buildings were made in Georgia and extremely energy efficient.  We set them in place with cranes.   There is more than the 60,000 Square feet JTA is requesting available on the top floor of the parking Garage.  I firmly believe that figure is bloated by a factor of two.

It would be cheaper and better for DT to send them to an existing empty office building in the Northbank.  There is plenty of cheap space available and having more employees clustered within a compact setting will help the struggling small businesses in DT.

Jacksonville's Downtown is long gone. A better move would be to demolish the old buildings and use the spaces generated for open space or a planned redevelopment with parking as other areas of the city have to offer.

That would be worse thing to do.  In fact, we've been doing exactly this for the last three decades and things have gotten worse.  The best thing would do would be to leave Jax city limits and seriously take a look how just about every other city in this country has turned their downtown around.  Btw, if we can't turn DT around, there's really no hope for Jax.  There isn't a major city in the US today that is prospering economically with a semi-vibrant downtown.  We're mistaken if we believe Jacksonville can be the first.

[fsujax]

no more tearing anything down for parking! period. Also, JTA or any other agency (TPO, FDOT, Highway Patrol, etc) that was slated to fill the TMC isn't moving into any new office space anytime soon, so move on past that one. Link the greyhound, Skyway and rail terminals as efficiently as possible. I really like some of the above samples.

[ChriswUfGator]

no more tearing anything down for parking! period. Also, JTA or any other agency (TPO, FDOT, Highway Patrol, etc) that was slated to fill the TMC isn't moving into any new office space anytime soon, so move on past that one. Link the greyhound, Skyway and rail terminals as efficiently as possible. I really like some of the above samples.

+1

[finehoe]

Notice a difference in quality then what we have locally?

If by "quality" you mean "no one there" then, yeah, I guess so.

[thelakelander]

Quality in terms of atmosphere and cleanliness.  Here is an image of Milwaukee's with people there.