JTA's plans for I-95/JTB Interchange Shortsighted

[Ocklawaha]

Just for fun, this is the earthquake fault visible about 1/4 mile east of my cabin! In 1992 a 7.4 earthquake made my place into an atrium with a sun roof! It didn't help the highway (Old Woman Springs Road) either.


Remember folks, I own more land in California then in Florida, so I know something about how they do things. When Jerry Brown was governor he had a secretary of transportation named Adrianna Gianturrco. Using money that had previously gone to freeway building and repair, they constructed a statewide rail plan and immediately started funding trains.

Out of that reorganization the California DOT became CalTrans. Indeed they DO report to local officials, their vision statement has an entire section on following the will of the local communities. They also adopted a "Complete Streets" bill which simply means streets are no longer just for automobiles, rather they are for motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians etc..

Frankly what JTA is doing at this interchange would NOT happen in California.


OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

Ock...statements like this come from FDOT (and probably every other state DOT) too...and they now all "have to follow" complete streets policies.

Bootom line - DOTs spend money...but in metro areas, they need approval from the MPOs on how to allocate the money...in essence, MPOs have to approve before DOTs do anything....of course, MPO boards often bend to what DOTs want because they are fearful of losing the money if they don't agree.

[CS Foltz]

It would seem to me that there needs to be, not only oversight, but one director/planner/ or one vision to work off of. A standardize plan, which would accomodate all manners of mass transit! One standardized plan, adaptable for anywhere based on local demands or projected uses! As tufsu indicated "all have to follow complete street policies", so why are we any different?

[Ocklawaha]

Ock...statements like this come from FDOT (and probably every other state DOT) too...and they now all "have to follow" complete streets policies.

Bootom line - DOTs spend money...but in metro areas, they need approval from the MPOs on how to allocate the money...in essence, MPOs have to approve before DOTs do anything....of course, MPO boards often bend to what DOTs want because they are fearful of losing the money if they don't agree.

Yes I know everyone has a "statement", however did Florida have such a program in 1975? California did.


OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

Bootom line - DOTs spend money...but in metro areas, they need approval from the MPOs on how to allocate the money...in essence, MPOs have to approve before DOTs do anything....of course, MPO boards often bend to what DOTs want because they are fearful of losing the money if they don't agree.

MPO's are a joke and look to me to be an attempt to set up the illusion of an "independent" organization, free of special interests, control of the road building agencies, and apolitical.  In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  They just amount to a giant, unaccountable rubber stamp controlled by the same vested interests that control all the decision making aspects outside of the MPO.  If they did their job, we wouldn't be discussing the issues we do here on MJ.  In the end, MPO's just shift accountability from politicians and city employees who work for them to a nebulous black hole where no one can be held accountable and the approval process just becomes obfuscated.

A worthwhile MPO would exclude votes from all the "usual suspects" and be limited to independent minded professionals and citizens somehow accountable to the citizens they are supposed to represent.  Maybe like a Federal Reserve Board of city planning where the long view is taken, decision making is beyond the special interests' reach, and political influence is minimized.

[tufsu1]

you do know that MPOs are generally comprised mainly of elected officialks, right?  As such, they are guaranteed not to be apolitical

[CS Foltz]

Like Jacksonville? JTA is about apolitical as you can get right? They have no agenda..............other than stacking the deck to stay in power and control, but use our money to run their operations!

[tufsu1]

JTA is not an MPO....like a DOT, they can and do spend money to construct projects

[Ocklawaha]

JTA is not an MPO....like a DOT, they can and do spend money to construct projects

TRUE!

More like a loose cannon!


OCKLAWAHA

[stjr]

MPO's are a joke and look to me to be an attempt to set up the illusion of an "independent" organization, free of special interests, control of the road building agencies, and apolitical.  

you do know that MPOs are generally comprised mainly of elected officialks, right?  As such, they are guaranteed not to be apolitical

Tufsu, you are just confirming exactly my point.  I said MPO's were all about creating an illusion of being apolitical.  In other words, trying to make it appear that transportation projects are decided on a non-political, objective basis.  Nothing could be further from the truth based, in large part, on the central role in the MPO of elected officials who only politicize every decision they touch.  Thus, the illusion.  That's why when you cite endorsements of decisions by the MPO it means nothing.  Nada.  Worthless. Just done to deflect responsibility, dilute accountability, obfuscate the politics of the process, and confuse the public.

[CS Foltz]

stjr........I would add one further comment! JTA is more concerned about themselves, their budget (which happens to be our money) and they have their own agenda which does not include the public they are supposed to be in business for. They appear to be incompetent, but that is just a smoke screen, while they offer up bids in a non competitive manner which just enriches that GOB Network! JTA is not in business like a normal business, they do not grow to become more competitive, they grow because they are the only game in town....period! They do nothing to increase efficiency, their primary mode of transportation is a polluting piece of crud and they do nothing to become more efficient or cost effective and lower ridership cost per mile! The new BRT system is being built with Federal money ($12 Million Dollars of our money) it copies the $kyway for the most part and its going to get new shelters in spiffy colors! All I have to say is........like wow! This is straight from our mass transit provider!This is the best we can get?

[tufsu1]

while they offer up bids in a non competitive manner which just enriches that GOB Network!

from what I can tell, JTA competitively bids out their consultant and contract services....now competitive doesn't always mean lowest bid...state law requires that professional services be bid based on qualifications, not price.

do you know of something that says otherwise?

[CS Foltz]

tufsu.......I concur regarding "consultant and contract services"! I am refering to the Material aspect which is supposed to be on a bid process! Since you have peaked my interest............I am going to look into it further and will post here when I have something hardcore!

[ricker]

I am so confused.
clear this up for me please, someone in the know.. .make sense of this for me please.

once this is built...

IF you live or work on the NE area of this clusterf---, and need to get to the new proposed train station, which route do you take?

OR IF you need to get to the hospital from the train, how do you get there?

[JeffreyS]

Call a taxi.