JTA meetings on the future of the Skyway

[Ken_FSU]

Laws and intentions aside, I do hope that Rory's posturing about Waymo draws additional attention to the JTA's frivolous, duplicative spend on AV technology. Disagree slightly that NAVI and Waymo are two different things. From day one, JTA has positioned the long-term future of NAVI as a fleet-based system of AVs that could be hailed via app and clustered/surged for special events. To me, that's essentially rideshare, like Waymo, or Uber, or Lyft. And something we have no business investing limited mass-transit dollars into.

I'm also not sold on Waymo seeing Jacksonville as a great fit in the short-term. We lack the local population density of most Waymo markets, and I assume we run lighter on business travel, large events/conferences, and tourism than markets like Miami, Orlando, or Tampa. I don't get the sense that traditional rideshare like Uber flourishes in Jax, just because of how much dead space there is between rides.

[thelakelander]

Waymo is ride share. JTA is all over the place with NAVI...it just depends on what the audience in the room is more interested in hearing.

JTA has tried selling NAVI as a Skyway replacement and somehow positioned the huge positive of mass transit dedicated ROW as a negative for the existing system (when this is the greatest asset it has).

However, when they describe NAVI as being "flexible", its still not a taxi or ride share. Its just a bastardized version of a fixed route without visible guideway while also not having the capacity to move masses of transit users on its own. More of a modern version of bus "flexibility " when compared to technologies that require "permanent" fixed routes. Its like a little Frankenstein that is inadequate in any direction you want to go, when compared to tried and true things we already know will work.

Waymo won't stop it anymore than Uber or Lyft, as it can't be inaccurately promoted as a transit solution for Jax. Unfortunately, local common sense and logic will have to reign supreme over politics to drastically shift this beast.