Why Jacksonville Should Immediately Invest In Rail

[Shwaz]

Well then I'm all for it... maybe as an extension of the skyway.

[fsujax]

Well, how do we get the City Council to support this effort? It is going to take more than just one or two of them supporting it. Frankly, JTA can't be the lone force trying to get the city to invest in streetcars. It is going to take a concerted effort from lots of folks to create an atmosphere of City support. There is no reason why can't build a "no-frills" system here. Connecting Riverside, Downtown and Springfield with a streetcar would do wonders for the urban core. Unfortunately, there are those who work within the circle of decision makers that believe you have to have the development in place before the streetcar. That's a seriously flawed viewpoint, but that is what we face.

[Lunican]

Even with that viewpoint, there are plenty of existing destinations between Riverside, Downtown, and Springfield.

[zoo]

According to the math in the article this $80 million would pay for 4 miles of rail transit. Does Jacksonville have enough for a full scale plan?

Btw, just to give you an idea of size, four miles of track would be enough to run a line from Riverside through Downtown and up into Springfield.

This is the kind of basic economic development math our leadership misses every time. Parks are a big part of it, too, but the connectivity piece between it all gets neglected. Lets also not forget the aesthetics of streetcar as a positive addition to vibrancy, despite what the suburban-minded JaxPride/sign nazis think. Please give us more gray and black slabs (concrete and asphalt) to look at -- NOT.

[thelakelander]

Well, how do we get the City Council to support this effort?

Easy.  We have to successfully make the economic development argument.  We also have to make this a key issue in the upcoming race for mayor.

Unfortunately, there are those who work within the circle of decision makers that believe you have to have the development in place before the streetcar. That's a seriously flawed viewpoint, but that is what we face.

Without the road, sprawl can not occur on its own.  In a similar fashion, density to support rail does not come first without the rail system to serve it.  In short, if you want density, you have to add the feature that creates it.

What we face with our politicians is no different than what MJ faced with JTA when we first begin to shoot down the deck of cards the dedicated busways had been built upon.

This local type of shortsighted thinking can be defeated by the constant bombardment of local historical development patterns, economic/cost comparisons and recent examples of mass transit projects in cities similar to Jacksonville's sprawl based recent makeup.

[hightowerlover]

this was one of your better transit oriented articles, clearly showing the arguments for rail over bus with something that a politician might actually listen to.

[hightowerlover]

Here's a sign: Print it out and let's start a protest at City Hall.

[fsujax]

^^Nice. Now let's get started!!

[CS Foltz]

Does anyone know if City Hall can read?

[mtraininjax]

Does anyone know if City Hall can read?

That is not the issue here, the real issue is Does City Hall Care about Metro Jax's demands to install rail?

[thelakelander]

Probably not.  However, they did not care about Metro Jax's demands to keep BRT from ruining Adams, Bay and Forsyth Streets in the heart of DT when we got started either.  We all know how that turned out.

[buckethead]

Never let the fear of going unheard silence your voice.

I should send that to hallmark.

[urbanlibertarian]

Since there have been no posts in dispute of the article, I offer:

From "Rails Won't Save America" by Randall O'Toole:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/bp/bp107.pdf

Rising gas prices and concerns about greenhouse gases have stimulated calls to build more rail transit lines in urban areas, increase subsidies to Amtrak, and construct a large-scale intercity high-speed rail system. These megaprojects will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, but they won't save energy or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Although media reports suggest that many people are taking public transit instead of driving, actual numbers show that recent increases in transit ridership account for only 3 percent of the decline in urban driving. Also, contrary to popular belief, rail transit does not save energy. Many light-rail operations use more energy per passenger mile than the average sport utility vehicle, and almost none uses less than a fuel-efficient car such as a Toyota Prius. People who respond to high fuel prices by taking transit are not saving energy; they are merely imposing their energy costs on someone else.

Rail transportation is also much more heavily subsidized than other forms of travel. Where highway subsidies average less than a penny per passenger mile, and subsidies to flying are even lower, Amtrak costs taxpayers 22 cents per passenger mile and urban transit costs 61 cents per passenger mile.

Even if rail transport did save energy, spending more money on rail will get few people out of their cars. People who want to save energy should plan to buy more fuel-efficient cars and encourage cities to invest in traffic signal coordination, which can save far more energy at a tiny fraction of the cost of building new rail transport lines.

Randal O'Toole is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute and author of The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future.

[thelakelander]

Randall and Wendell Cox roll around in the same bed.  Both are well known anti rail zealots.

Anyway, he's right.  Rail won't save America.  However, it will spur economic development along the corridor it serves.  Jacksonville and America are living examples of this.  Only a fool would debate otherwise.  He's also right in saying upgrading and building rail will cost hundreds of billions.  However, he left out the alternative (building more roads) which will cost hundreds of trillions and do nothing for restimulating infill development in areas where we've already invested in building the existing infrastructure.  

[ralpho37]

CSX's $40 investment in rail is to serve the port.  It has nothing to do with light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, or any other type of passenger rail.

Having said that, JTA needs to get it together and realize America is leaving Jacksonville behind.  Invest in passenger rail now!