Bus Shelter Advertising Debate headed to City Council

[stjr]

You think any council members who put themselves out there for the JTA might now hesitate to do so again?

Maybe.  They need to be independent thinkers, not rubber stampers or special interest advocates.  If this teaches them that lesson, we, as a community, will be better for it.  Same with any other "errors in our ways" such as Jack Webb's missteps.

Part of atoning for mistakes is that we admit to them and learn to do better next time.  That's why knowing our past is so critical to insuring our future!

[Ocklawaha]

  Only in Jacksonville.  Who wants to place bets that nothing happens at all and the system remains dysfunctional?

Hells Bells Lake, these things come in more shapes and designs then a Disney Fantasy movie... From cool little mushrooms, to giant heated/AC size micro-stations. You simply choose the product that fits the market and location... Damn, this stuff isn't that hard people.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Only in Jax, lol.  I'll be looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

[JeffreyS]

I wonder how much the study cost that determined the ads were the best way to go.

[JeffreyS]

I feel like our fit about getting transit has totally had it's ass kicked by the people who do not want the shelters fit.

[Ocklawaha]

To HELL WITH STUDIES, have ideas and make executive decisions, that's what they pay me for in Colombia! You STUDY in school, in class, or on-the-job, in the field you follow CCTT's motto. (CCTT=Transport and Technology Corporation of Colombia) 

"ACT, Inertia Doesn't Move/Change"


This stuff just ISN'T THAT HARD! Your right Lake, ONLY IN JACKSONVILLE! y Pasto!

OCKLAWAHA

[CS Foltz]

Gentlemen...........I concur! JTA is back pedaling big time and the bozo's did not even have a Plan B either!  When in doubt have a study done seems to be the way most of the City's Agencies operate and I just can not understand it! No one has returned my E Mail request to the 3 Companies you guys provided the links for yet and when they do I will post that info. Somehow I think $12K per shelter is an inflated figure and I am trying to find out just where. One of the principals of manufacturing is standardization both in materials and design which allows a cost effective product to any customer and I am still scratching my head as to why a simple shelter would cost so much.................it doesn't make sense!

[tufsu1]

I'm not sure they are getting off this idea yet...just taking a pause to let things cool down a bit....I still expect to see the board give JTA staff the go-ahead and this to be pursued sometime next year.

Either way, at least they now have the ability to do this at some point in the future if they so choose.

[fsujax]

God forbid we act like a big city and have advertisements on bus shelters. How frustrating!

[CS Foltz]

Gentlemen............I could care less about "Advertisements" that I would not read while traveling on the roads! I have yet to see anything that substantiates advertising on either bus's or shelters so any company that participates maybe expecting lots of traffic from advertising but I say - It ain't so Joe! Any so-called numbers can be juggled or presented in the best light strictly depending on how the question is asked! Some of us question  any information presented by a poll or a survey and I understand why............because I do too!

[Dog Walker]

But JTA is always so precise and accurate in it's reported numbers and projections!  (That's sarcasm, folks!)

[JaxNole]

I disagree with RAP's stance against ad-supported bus shelters.  As part of their objective to promote less dependence on automobiles, improved and upgraded bus shelters would support this goal.

The ads won't be flashing neon (Times Square) nor of soft porn.  Advertising abounds in the historic district so why not jump on the opportunity to fund bus shelters since there are so many bus stops in the area?

[thelakelander]

Let’s have a little sympathy for those who ride the buses

By Phil FretzStory updated at 7:57 AM on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009

Here we go again …

For four long years, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority sought City Council permission to finance construction and maintenance of bus shelters by selling advertising on them.

And, for as many years, opponents lobbied against it, saying they wanted time to explore other financing options.

Finally, the council gave its approval. And, two weeks later, the opponents were back.
They wanted time to explore other financing options.

Wouldn’t you just know it?

Let’s see. The city has about 3,500 bus stop sites and, according to the JTA, only 340 have roofs.

And, as we all know, it rains quite a bit here in Florida.

It costs $4,000 or more to build a shelter and $1,200 a year to maintain it, the JTA says.

Where is JTA going to get the money without selling ads, cutting needed road work or scaling back bus service?

If the opponents finally have a workable idea, let’s hear it.

But have a sense of urgency. That elusive pot of money, if they can find it, must be big enough to get the job done â€" and it has to come in what JTA spokesman Mike Miller calls a “sustainable stream.”

That means enough money must pour in, automatically, to build and maintain 50 shelters every year for 20 years.

That rules out applications for federal grants or stimulus money. It rules out annual appropriations from the City Council.

And it certainly rules out “hope and a prayer” projects like asking for donations.

Miller says the JTA will forge ahead with the advertising project as soon as all the necessary paperwork is completed, in about 90 days, unless opponents come up with a really viable alternative before then.

Don’t hold your breath.

Bus riders are getting wet. They’re catching colds. Some are getting sick.

No more stalling. Get the job done.

If the “visual clutter” ruins someone’s carefully crafted sense of ambience, so be it. Maybe poor people won’t have to spend so much money on cold medication.

Less ambience for better health.

That sounds like a pretty good trade-off, to me.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/columnists/phil_fretz/2009-11-09/story/let%E2%80%99s_have_a_little_sympathy_for_those_who_ride_the_b

[CS Foltz]

It would seem to me that JTA has taken the easy way out...........no money equals no shelters! However we seem to find the money we need for new bus's! If one bus was delayed in procurement that would be $600k available for new shelters and maintenance, even though I have never seen a shelter being maintained or cleaned by anyone! This makes me believe that possibly that is just one more waste of our tax dollars given to someone somewhere  for doing nothing! What is the criteria to get a shelter and who makes that decision based upon what information............does anyone know?

[tufsu1]

Money for new buses comes from capital outlays from FTA and FDOT....bus shelters can not be funded this way