Which Would You Like To Ride???

[Ocklawaha]

Okay troops, (forget real streetcars and LRT or Heritage Trolleys for a moment) an honest question, based on a slightly twisted concept of Heritage Bus...

Of the following two groups, which would you go downtown to visit, just for the ride? Which would you take your kids or friends or family to? Lastly WHY?

To make this work, talk to me... Why does either appeal to you?

GROUP ONE: (free downtown)



GROUP TWO: (free downtown)



This is not a joke, please join in here, even JTA is welcome!

Ocklawaha

[thelakelander]

Personally, I wouldn't make a special trip to ride on either, although I have taken trips to downtown for my kids to ride on the Skyway.  If I had a gun to my head, I'd probably go with the older version, as long as it was free.  During the summer I'd favor the one with the best air conditioning.

Other than that, I would be more interested in the route and timing information.  Would one serve the Farmer's Market or Five Points, while the other only rotated around downtown?  That info would probably be just as critical as the age of the bus to me.

[Ocklawaha]

Lakelander, thanks man.

Yes, for the sake of the questions, we would have to "imagine" that they go pretty much anywhere downtown that we would want them to go. Farmers Market, Riverside, 5 Points, Springfield, Stadium etc. Consider them all an advancement in the current shuttle trolley system. All have ADA lifts and all are heated and air conditioned. Group one is pure reproduction trolley-bus, while the other may be real or reproduction authentic antique bus.  Hope this helps everyone...

Come on in y'all.

Ocklawaha

[gatorback]

a/c and heat being equal id go for the one that breaks down the
most given each time it does break i get 1 free tickect good for domestic air travel to anywhere in the US or a free ride on a regularly schedule JTA bus

[Jason]

Personally I perfer the look of the "potato chip truck", assuming it goes everywhere in the core I need to go.

[gatorback]

I didn't see a hotdog bus there but I would go for that too. Austin has hundreds of "rickshaw" type bikes with a 2 wheel cart that can hold three or four people all around the wearhouse district  the bar/ club part of town . U pay what u want.  Those kids make 400-500 a night just in tips, plus it cuts down on greenhouse gasses. 

[big ben]

i'd definitely go with the antique-style buses as well.  you would think that cities in florida would be good for rickshaw-type transportation, since it's flat. 

[hightowerlover]

http://www.youtube.com/v/h-Ijsfg4tx4 New Japanese Concept Car - The cabin rotates a full 360 degrees and the wheels turn 90 degrees for easy parking.  Plus it has a robot navigation system.  What's not to love?

[big ben]

http://www.youtube.com/v/h-Ijsfg4tx4 New Japanese Concept Car - The cabin rotates a full 360 degrees and the wheels turn 90 degrees for easy parking.  Plus it has a robot navigation system.  What's not to love?

what i loved about it even more is that it looks like it has a lot of headroom.  that's my biggest complaint about current "innovative" cars.  it could be just a very short model in the car, i guess.

[gatorback]

I would add that to my tm (transportation mix). My current mix includes my dr. Should (shoes ie walking), my Vintage Schwen cruiser equiped with basket and  beer/cup holder, mark carpooler, busses and taxis.  What is your current tm?

[big ben]

I would add that to my tm (transportation mix). My current mix includes my dr. Should (shoes ie walking), my Vintage Schwen cruiser equiped with basket and  beer/cup holder, mark carpooler, busses and taxis.  What is your current tm?

currently, i drive to work and walk to the store.  i'm very seriously thinking i'm going to buy an industrial articulating tricycle like the one below, so i can transport larger objects without my car.  they retail for a lot, but i found a couple for a little over $100.  i could probably also make it to transport friends who don't have a bike to ride. 

i'm a little worried about the gearing, though.  these weren't really designed to go extremely far.  i'd be able to make it to the grocery store and walgreens and the little hardware store at park & king, but not much further.

[gatorback]

that thing look heavy.  Here's a photo poor at best of  bike cabs all over town.  These kids are in great shape and make a furtune.  Funny that we get laughed at by fat slobs who couldn't pedal a mile to save their life.  Think  this would work on Bay Street?  I've taken a bike cab once or maybe twice.  The places I frequent are all within walking distance when I'm out in downtown austin.

[big ben]

yes, it looks heavy.  it's not really designed for going far.  the ones i've seen only have one gear and it's generally a lot of spinning for not much speed, so i'm thinking there's an outside chance i would want to convert it to having a couple of gears.  i'm also worried that my knees might hit that handle bar. 

i've also wondered if bike cabs could work here.  i would think that most cities in florida would be good, since they're relatively flat and i would think that as downtown develops, they could work.  i don't know if there's enough downtown to support them at the moment, but i'm never there during week days.  i think they might work at the popular areas of the beaches where the tourists usually are.  especially if they could get friendly with the hotels and get suggested when people ask how to get somewhere.  if springfield developed it's own strip where people wanted to go between bay street, five-points and springfield main street, it could work out pretty good. 

[Ocklawaha]

Don't do it BigBen, I think that is almost the same bike that the Postal Service once employed in Sanford and St. Petersburg. I went out and played on them a few times and I'm here to tell you that thing will beat you to death!
Anyone riding a "Big Wheel" or a modern lightweight bicycle will run circles around you.

Maybe a historic looking golf-cart car... Somebody sells them up in Atlantic Beach off Mayport Road. I believe they are street legal, just not highway legal.

Come on folks? Anyone else think historic replica or restored buses would be more fun then pretend-trackless truck/bus/trolley thingies?


Ocklawaha

[big ben]

i wasn't planning on going fast.  i'd definitely need to try it before buying it.  i'd prefer something human-powered, so i think i'll pass on the golf-cart car.

i think the trackless trolley buses are ugly.