Expanding the Skyway: Where would you like it to go?

[TimmyB]

Driverless?  Not for me, but not for the reasons you might think.  Simply a matter of security.  I don't like the thought of myself and my wife being completely alone with no transportation worker making sure a bunch of clowns aren't boarding that car with evil intentions.

Current skyway cars are driverless as well. But security is at every station so doesn't seem so bad.

Probably why I haven't ever ridden the Skyway.  That, and the fact that it doesn't go anywhere!

Well in the past four years, there have been 4.8 million trips taken on the Skyway. So somebody is riding it somewhere.

I get that.  It's just not of much use to me, as a visitor to the city, which is probably why this discussion about expansion is taking place.  The lack of any quality rail-based transit system is the one thing that Jacksonville is lacking, compared to most other major cities.

[ProjectMaximus]

Thanks, Josh! I did see that about a month ago but thought the sunlight/my eyes were deceiving me. I think it looks a good bit better than it used to, though that's not hard to do.

[Adam White]

Driverless?  Not for me, but not for the reasons you might think.  Simply a matter of security.  I don't like the thought of myself and my wife being completely alone with no transportation worker making sure a bunch of clowns aren't boarding that car with evil intentions.

Current skyway cars are driverless as well. But security is at every station so doesn't seem so bad.

Probably why I haven't ever ridden the Skyway.  That, and the fact that it doesn't go anywhere!

Well in the past four years, there have been 4.8 million trips taken on the Skyway. So somebody is riding it somewhere.

I get that.  It's just not of much use to me, as a visitor to the city, which is probably why this discussion about expansion is taking place.  The lack of any quality rail-based transit system is the one thing that Jacksonville is lacking, compared to most other major cities.

I lived in Jax for 27 years. I rode the Skyway probably 4 or 5 times. Granted, we didn't have a Skyway for all 27 years. But still - it's useful for certain things, but it's very limited.

I worked in the Ed Ball building for a while and had the option to park and ride the Skyway to the office. I just took the bus instead (and usually walked home) as I lived in Riverside. Had I lived elsewhere, I might've been tempted.

[thelakelander]

JTA just had a community meeting to discuss expansion possibilities they are considering.

Per the JBJ, Five Points, the Sports Complex, The District, the M.D. Anderson health center, and Springfield were noted as possibilities, among others, with the most popular public support being for the sports complex and Five Points

Not the best pic, but you can get a sense for some stations they suggested:



Full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2016/11/16/where-should-an-expanded-skyway-go-public-weighs.html

Here's another pic that shows the Riverside route:

[RatTownRyan]

Is the full presentation/maps used/minutes to the meeting, available anywhere for review?? That is the first time I have seen the map shown in the picture.

[exnewsman]

Is the full presentation/maps used/minutes to the meeting, available anywhere for review?? That is the first time I have seen the map shown in the picture.

http://www.jtafla.com/media/Documents/Skyway/jta_skyway-forum-11_15_16-v3/1017/jta_skyway-forum-11_15_16-v3.pdf

[thelakelander]

The comparison matrix in the presentation seems to support something like this:

Another option for extending at grade.....a driverless bus...





How would you all feel about something like this running on the existing infrastructure and being extended into surrounding neighborhoods at-grade (assuming they ran in their own dedicated lanes)?

[FlaBoy]

I think the route to Riverside is a little too complicated and would hurt frequency. Would there be a way to take it from Riverside up Roselle to Park?

Fascinating report though. With the automated bus option, would you run that along the current elevated structure?

[thelakelander]

You'd run it on the elevated guideway. They'd replace the current cars.

[TimmyB]

You'd run it on the elevated guideway. They'd replace the current cars.

I'm a little confused by this.  Isn't there a gigantic concrete "rail" that the skyway runs on?  Would that have to be removed for these cars to work, or is the rail simply not that tall?

[acme54321]

You'd run it on the elevated guideway. They'd replace the current cars.

I'm a little confused by this.  Isn't there a gigantic concrete "rail" that the skyway runs on?  Would that have to be removed for these cars to work, or is the rail simply not that tall?

It would have to be removed.

[thelakelander]

^If you remove that concrete beam (see, yellow and blue areas in the cross section below) you're pretty much left with a concrete deck.



With the beam gone, depending on what the deck can structurally support, anything from driverless vehicles and streetcars to other types of people mover vehicles could possibly work.

[TimmyB]

Ask and ye shall receive!  Thanks, Lake!

[Radio Man]

Concur with Lakelander that the Skyway IS quite useful. However, the sticking point is, I believe, with the type of cars that can run on the existing right of way. If the center concrete beam 'guide rail' were to be removed, then a number of options for expansion, including dropping to grade level, would be opened up.

We have a good starting point. It just needs to be modified, and then integrated with additional destinations which has been discussed above. My take would be to back a single solution for vehicles that would travel along the entire ROW.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Can't they update the cars on the existing tracks or does the whole thing need to be redone to accommodate more cars?