CHANGING DOWNTOWN TO UPTOWN

[Ocklawaha]

Getting On the Right Track
We can learn from New Orleans, Little Rock and other cities and develop the right transit system for our city without the obstacles and negative side effects being incorporated into the massive BRT fiasco.
By Robert Mann, Based on a original report
By Jason Leach
FROM: http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/

A recent piece in the Toronto Star discusses the ongoing battle in Toronto over dedicated streetcar lanes and their impact on neighbourhoods.

Recent issues of Folio, The Florida Times-Union and Metro Blogs/Forums have seen many writers and bloggers come forward with plans for heritage trolleys, modern streetcars or light rail on Jacksonville's main east west corridor â€" Water Street, Newnan, Beaver or Duval from the Transportation Center to the Stadiums or Phillip Randolph.

I believe that the plans we've presented for JACKSONVILLE TRACTION COMPANY, INC. are affordable, efficient and most of all, will have a great impact on surrounding neighbourhoods. Here's why:


1. Cost.
A 'rapid streetcar' using heritage trolleys or a mix of heritage and modern streetcar vehicles is much cheaper to build than a full LRT system. JTA studied an LRT system, which, of course, is much cheaper than a subway.

The rapid streetcar concept takes the same features of light rail â€" speed, attractiveness, permanent tracks which draw large private investment and dedicated lanes â€" but uses slightly smaller vehicles and doesn't require massive relocation of underground services due to the lighter vehicles.


2. Dedicated lanes, but not walls, curbs and obstacles.
A streetcar plan such as the one proposed to run both ways Water Street would see streetcars in their own lane, but would still allow cars to make left turns at most streets and cross the tracks easily and safely. The raised curbs that are a feature of some streetcar lines are rather clumsy obstacles for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

In Portland or most European cities with streetcars it is common to see street parking on the "other side" of the tracks against the curb as well as pedestrians crossing the tracks with their groceries or cyclists crossing the tracks as necessary.

Obviously the train has the right of way, but we aren't talking about a bullet train speeding along killing people. Streetcars are designed to fit perfectly in the urban environment, not act as obstacles.

Streetcars blend into the cityscape. Feel like jaywalking, crossing the tracks on your bike or dropping someone off? Make sure no train is coming and go for it. In fact Jacksonville Traction's own unique heritage is very similar to that of New Orleans. Streetcars operate in center medians and the track is sodded over. The addition of plantings, trees and shrubs once gained us fame as "The most beautiful streetcar line in the world."

More photos here:http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t103.html
Note â€" the above photos from Portland show a streetcar that uses the same lanes as cars. Regardless, a double solid yellow line and signage would allow the same design to be used with a system using dedicated lanes. So traffic lane or historic style median, No curbs required.


3. Neighbourhood/retail impact
Let's be brutally honest here. Downtown is a shell of what it used to be and what it could be. In Jacksonville, some shopkeepers feel that the senseless demolition of historic buildings, parking meters with a Gestapo-like control, and endless moonscapes of blank walls, or empty lots packed with the homeless have resulted in bad news for business in the area that always seemed to bustle with activity.

In Jacksonville, six and eight-lane freeways, sprawl, parking meters, broken or inconsistent sidewalks, one way streets and timed lights have killed once-booming retail streets. We have parking coming out of our backsides, but few customers and many less shops, restaurants, hotel rooms or clubs than there should be.

Streetcars-in-lane might slow down the vehicle traffic on Water. Parking would be retained as-is on the edge of the business core and folks could easily turn onto and off of side streets to find curbside parking.

More importantly, people and businesses would begin to show up in large numbers as a result of the streetcar line. The line shown in Portland in the photos above has seen $1.5 billion in private investment within a five minute walk of the tracks since opening.

Another or central corridor down Duval Street has many underused lots and buildings and plans for a massive courthouse complex. A streetcar along with a more pedestrian-friendly environment (think trees and benches along the entire corridor) would revitalize the uptown neighbourhoods that have been ignored for too long. In effect pulling the City both along the river and moving it inland.

LRT which JTA once studied, spaces stops apart quite far. A rapid streetcar would take a medium approach, having stops spaced out further than a typical bus route, but not as great a distance as with LRT.


4. Transportation options
Even though walking or cycling aren't directly mentioned as a benefit of a streetcar, they are natural byproducts of this project. Right now people have one realistic option for traversing our Streets â€" their car. Streetcars still allow for vehicle lanes, but having lights controlled for the streetcars instead of autos would make it quicker to get from downtown to Union Station-Transportation Center to the core or stadiums in the streetcar. Streetcars can discharge or pick up passengers in the median, since they have doors on both sides. The operator simply makes certain there is no oncoming car or traffic and can open doors left or right, thus there is no need to eat up curb space such as JTA'S proposed downtown transit mall.

Furthermore, balancing the transportation modes on our city streets will automatically result in more cyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists would feel safer to ride their bikes on a normal city street whereas right now downtown streets are not much different than I-95. More shops, condos, restaurants, clubs and hotels and streetcar users means more people getting on and off trains, running errands, going out for coffee or just walking the dog.

Jacksonville would start to look like a proper, urban downtown once again. Public art, benches, trees, flowers, patios and sidewalk displays would turn an empty, concrete canyon into a wonderful blend for local residents and visitors.

Ocklawaha
JTA? Pick up your phone!

[thelakelander]

Can you post a map of your preferred starter line?

Also, I think it time for us to change our discussion points about rail-based mass transit.  I think we know the benefits in regards to having an alternative transit choice, its reliability, stimulating economic development and rail costing less to build and maintain than dedicated busways.

I think its time we start focusing on how to immediately fund a starter line without waiting 5, 10, 15 to 20 years on countless studies, FTA funding or immediate tax increases.

[Ocklawaha]

TYPICAL SECTION

CONCEPT LINES:
Starter in BLACK
Extensions in RED



See http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/
For Slide Show and more graphics

Ocklawaha

[jason_contentdg]

So, who's doing those fancy sketchup models?

[Ocklawaha]

It's a combined effort of Trolley Nuts, Cities, friends, and my friendly photobucket...Hee Hee

Ocklawaha

[jason_contentdg]

It's a combined effort of Trolley Nuts, Cities, friends, and my friendly photobucket...Hee Hee

Ocklawaha

Good images...

[brainstormer]

Great article!  I've only lived in this city for a year, and already am discouraged by the lack of leadership in city government and lack of initiative to be progressive and forward thinking.  Why must Jacksonville always be a step behind?  In times of economic slowdown, a city can not afford to sit back and relax.  It must work more quickly and even harder to find ways to continue moving forward.  Let's stop pumping millions of dollars into more freeways and start expanding mass transit.  I love the ideas being generated on this site.  Too bad the people who are supposed to be leading this city and it's transit system aren't listening.

[thelakelander]

Brainstormer, we'll either get them to listen and hop along for the ride, or they'll be pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

[thelakelander]

One of the reasons, the skyway struggles to attract riders, is because it does not stretch into neighboring urban communities.

Ock, what's the benefit of a figure 8 starter only circling downtown, as opposed to taking a leg out of the figure 8 to make sure the starter stretches into Five Points or Springfield?  Wouldn't stretching it out cost the same amount of money and track, yet hit popular spots like Five Points, instead of circling around dead zones like LaVilla?

[brainstormer]

Wouldn't LaVilla be an area that would have the most potential for private growth?  I like your point about extending to 5 points right away because so many people live there and it is a destination area, but I wouldn't cut LaVilla out completely.  All of those overgrown lots are just waiting for a reason to be developed...or at least I hope they are.

[thelakelander]

I wouldn't cut LaVilla out, but if I had lets say... $30 million to invest in a "starter" line, I'd favor it going to Five Points over LaVilla.  Whatever, private growth you would get out of LaVilla could be doubled in Brooklyn between the Jax terminal/downtown and Five Points because it covers more land and the available land isn't already spoken for (try buying land in LaVilla...most of it isn't for sell).  After all, you can always expand into LaVilla with a future addition.  Plus you connect the popular destinations at the end points.  For a starter, whatever the path is chosen, it was to be a proven winner that goes where people want to go.  Excluding the courthouse site (which is a block away from the Skyway's Hemming Plaza station), I don't think there's much reason to go into what's left of LaVilla these days.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

Yes, and theres a larger group of peeps that would congregate in 5-points to catch it. Good Eye

[Ocklawaha]

Ock, what's the benefit of a figure 8 starter only circling downtown, as opposed to taking a leg out of the figure 8 to make sure the starter stretches into Five Points or Springfield?  Wouldn't stretching it out cost the same amount of money and track, yet hit popular spots like Five Points, instead of circling around dead zones like LaVilla?

Certainly no startup line MUST be the figure 8 as shown. Consider the simple "I" on Water Street or a reversed "Z" of Water-Newnan-Beaver.

I concur with everyone that IF we can get the funding, we could and should build both the basic line and the two end extensions Riverside and Springfield at the same time. San Marco should follow as soon as we know what the overpass-underpass situation could be with San Marco or Hendricks. Certainly no deal for FEC commuter rail will happen without one of the other being covered. The railroad AND city have been sued over this danger zone since at least 1925.

The key to any good Transit network is get the core system up and running. We need the car barn/museum online, the mechanics and restoration shop up to speed. With the core "8" in place the extensions could be added with almost zero changes in service downtown. With bi-directional streets, double track or center line running, it would be a snap to branch out from such a dense core. So from an operations guy standpoint, picking up a zillion workers at the new Courthouse site and taking them to Jefferson Street Skyway or the Landing, connecting city hall and Hemming Plaza with the Florida Theater and Stadiums gives us a much more balanced system to use as a development tool then just a riverfront strip.

I think going for the whole 8 + is the way to shoot for this, the advantages:

Opportunity to place a museum near I-95 exit in LaVilla
Operations continue through further construction Water Street line is up first, putting us on the tourist map - plus a lead to the barn
Bi directional or single directional possibilities
twin lines to the Randolph Entertainment District would enhance the professional franchises/venues.
Opportunity to link with Union Station
Seamless link to Springfield and to Riverside

My ultimate goals for trolley?
RIVERSIDE: PARK-KING-ST. JOHNS-HERSCHELL-SAN JUAN all the way to San Juan at CSX/Roosevelt
RIVERSIDE: King CSX to St. Vincents
FAIRFIELD-RANDOLPH: Full length of Phillip Randolph-First-NS RR-Greenway-Gateway Mall
SPRINGFIELD: Up Newnan jog to Main-8th-Blvd-return on Laura, Davis or Pearl
St. Johns River Crossing
SAN MARCO: Prudential to San Marco to Atlantic to Hendricks to Prudential looper
SAN JOSE: To University
SAINT NICHOLAS: Hendricks to Atlantic to BEACHS (LRT)

It will be an interesting battle...[/color][/b]

Ocklawaha
http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/

[alta]

I think a starter line running from Springfield to the downtown core and then to the Sports/Entertainment district would be beneficial.  The transit line from Springfield would attract much needed retail/residential/commercial business to Springfield.   

[Ocklawaha]

Thanks and welcome aboard alta. Funny thing is after meeting with Lakelander and the MJ boys all had the same feelings on the figure 8... WHY? Why not just strike out for the burbs... Then I went home to do some more soul searching and checked out the plan for the new CINCINNATI STREETCAR PROJECT. Well as you can see from the image, I about fell out of my chair laughing...I mean? How weird is this?

See y'all, I'm not nearly as crazy as you thought I was, hell it's worse then that! It's all of us streetcar types!



OCKLAWAHA