Riverside Avondale Night Trolley Launch This Weekend

[IrvAdams]

Looks like there might be some spots along the way with adequate parking. A link to the route is below:

http://riversideavondalenighttrolley.com/about/

[ProjectMaximus]

I'd imagine it would be more or less like any other weekend. Parking won't be the easiest but there should be plenty of parking a block or two away from your destination.

Whatever increase the RA area gets in activity and customers is balanced out by more people from the neighborhood leaving their cars at home.

[fieldafm]

The trolley REALLY needs your support tonight.

Experience how convenient transit works tonight by riding the trolley.  Go to www.riversideavondalenighttrolley.com to access a map and learn how to ride.. Or like it in Facebook.

Use it or lose it!!!

[exnewsman]

Ridership for Night Trolley last weekend a little disappointing. Down from 1408 in Feb to 1171 this month. Numbers were 278 on Friday and 793 on Saturday. Still better than the opening weekend in January with 963.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

http://jacksonville.com/news/2014-06-27/story/riverside-night-trolley-service-permanent

Riverside night trolley service is permanent in Jacksonville

Trolleys will run first Friday, Saturday each month
Posted: June 27, 2014 - 3:50pm  |  Updated: June 27, 2014 - 5:28pm

By Nate Monroe
Traveling just got a little easier for Riverside and Avondale patrons on some weekend nights.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority board this week approved a permanent Riverside-Avondale Night Trolley service that will run Friday and Saturday nights during the first weekend of each month.

The service, which had been a pilot program since January, was originally set to run through July 4.

In the first five months of service, the trolley carried 1,122 passenger trips per weekend, and about 28 passengers per hour, which was enough for JTA staff to recommend making it a permanent service. In a staff report to the board, JTA officials said the trolley demonstrated an ability to "attract strong ridership."

It will cost the authority about $30,000 per year to operate the trolleys.

The night trolley stops throughout the neighborhood residential and commercial districts in Five Points, Park and King streets, the Avondale shopping district, the area's "Brewery District, " Stockton and College streets and the St. Johns Village area.

A mobile-optimized website (trolley.jaxmob.com) will show current route locations of the trolleys on each night.

One ride pass can be purchased for $1.50 with exact change on the trolley. Seniors (60 and older) ride free. Unlimited-ride single-day passes are $4 each, and can only be purchased in advance, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, at the Riverside Arts Market, or at various businesses in the Riverside-Avondale neighborhood.

More information can be found at riversideavondalenighttrolley.com.

[fieldafm]

Hello all. Trolley numbers have stunk the last two months. The trolley needs you to ride it this weekend and next month in order for this service to continue next year. A few merchants have discussed the possibility of providing some measure of financial support, but ridership levels must rebound and show that these last two months were simply an anomonly due to bad weather.

Please invite as many friends as possible to use the service this Friday and Saturday night.

Thank you in advance.

[jaxjaguar]

Two factors have prevented me from riding.

1. Weather... Why does it always rain the 1st full weekend of the month?

2. Just paid rent so I don't really have money to burn

The downtown extension not running is also a thorn in my side...

[Tacachale]

Can't control the weather. Let's show some love to a great service.

[johnnyliar]

Is the downtown/brookyln trolley ever going to be running again? or did it fail its trial run?

[Ocklawaha]

Why not just schedule a frequent bus and kill the gimmick? If BRT is, as Lake says, lipstick on a pig, then the JTA 'trolley' is lipstick and a tutu on a pig. Nothing to see here folks, move along.

[fieldafm]

Is the downtown/brookyln trolley ever going to be running again? or did it fail its trial run?

The one month downtown trial had very strong numbers. Then, the R/A ridership fell flat on its face the following two months (and I emphasize the flat on its face part).

Ridership needs to be sustainable for this to work. Which means, people need to ride this weekend. That's the bottom line.

A downtown extension can happen if it can be proven that the last two months were simply a weather-driven anomoly.

[exnewsman]

Why not just schedule a frequent bus and kill the gimmick? If BRT is, as Lake says, lipstick on a pig, then the JTA 'trolley' is lipstick and a tutu on a pig. Nothing to see here folks, move along.

why be an assho provocateur about a pretty good attempt to marry transit to urban solutions to commecial and entertainment growth in residential areas?  Just because its not an actual fixed trolley system doesn't make transit less important to urban needs, ock.

And many of us who you consider friends have worked on, supported, or believed in this experiment.

+1

[ChriswUfGator]

Surely JTA must be aware that on a choice rider service, if it's raining or freezing cold, the ridership won't be there. This is the second or third time over the year this experiment has been running that there's been talk of canceling it because of a lack of ridership, following a bout of bad weather.

[exnewsman]

Surely JTA must be aware that on a choice rider service, if it's raining or freezing cold, the ridership won't be there. This is the second or third time over the year this experiment has been running that there's been talk of canceling it because of a lack of ridership, following a bout of bad weather.

I don't know that there's talk about cancelling, but as a business you want to be trending upward, not downward. If two bad months becomes 4, 6, 10 - then cancellation would probably be on the table. As riders if you miss a couple months due to weather (or anything else), perhaps it becomes one of those things you forget about because you haven't done it in awhile.

Success depends on ridership - bad weather or not.

[jaxlore]

How they can even think about cancelling this with several new apartment buildings going in on Riverside Ave avenue is mind boggling. Yes everyone should support this, but we need regular service to make this work. That being said i will be taking a ride this weekend.