As I'm writing this, I'm on the skyway. I was ready to leave the artwalk so I got on at Hemming Plaza. I got off at central but couldn't because my grandmother's wheelchair couldn't get off the car!! So we rode it all the way to Kings Ave and it stopped! We waited for about 5 minutes and a JTA person told the people to take it to our stop. I would go more in detail but I'm just furious. This makes me never want to ride it again.
I share your frustration. I ride the Skyway because I want to promote and support it as a mode of transit in Jacksonville. Not because JTA does a particularly good job of running it.
Fire JTA
Unacceptable..... just terrible!!!!! >:(
Ok I'll go into more details now.
We waited for the skyway at convention center. We got on and got off at central. Then we waited there for the other train to come. Once it came and we were at hemming plaza, we got in the elevator and it smelled like a portolette! It was just nasty. So once we were out of that we walked around hemming plaza (about 20 minutes) and went to de real ting cafe. We left at 8:45 and got to the skyway at 8:47. We knew the skyway closed at 9 so we had already knew we needed to leave earlier.
Once we got back to hemming plaza, we tried to put in 10 cents for my grandmother but the thing was jammed! We just walked in. We got in the elevator and the pee was gone, but the smell wasn't! You could tell someone tried to get rid of it but they didn't do to good. As we got on the platform, a skyway train was leaving from the other side. We waited for another train to come by before we got on ours. I don't know where that other train went. Anyways, after waiting for what felt like more than 6 minutes, we rode it to central. I tried to roll my grandmother off the train, but her wheels were getting stuck under the platform! I told her to walk out, but by that time, the doors were closing. (Btw, they're visiting from Cleveland).
So we rode the FREEZING cold thing all the way to Kings Ave where this crazy man (who deserves his own story) got off. The bell started to ring and it said the doors were about to close, but they DIDN'T! Oddly enough, the crazy man was the reason we got some help. He stayed up there and a JTA worker came up there and the crazy man went away. Then he saw us on it and asked where we were trying to go. He acted like this was an everyday thing. He got on his walkie-talkie and told them that we need to go to convention center. We rode and it took us to central. The doors opened, we waited, and they closed. Then it took us to the convention center. I tried to roll my grandmother off but the same thing happened! My other grandmother tried to lift her wheelchair up but that wasn't gonna happen. So she had to walk out.
Another JTA worker was there and we told him about it. As we were walking back to the car, we heard him telling someone about it. That really needs to be fixed.
Before anything else the skyway needs to be brought up to a state of good repair. I think I've said that before.
I agree.
The Landing and the Skyway have suffered from years of the same neglect that has seen 4' foot tall weeds and broken trash lining I-95 downtown. There is simply no excuse for a city, public building, mass transit system or highway to look and smell like someones outhouse. EVERY trip on the Skyway or on the elevators at the Landing is greeted with the stench of stale urine.
JTA not only needs to give the whole Skyway a face lift but we need to get away from some of the automation and assign some Jacksonville Ambassadors to double as Skyway Conductors. In fact a splash of Disney style magic, uniforms, and a police radio would go miles toward making the little system a clean family experience. Some Orange Cleaner or Pine Sol would kill some of the putrid odors. But a helpful Conductor Corp would discourage, report and arrange the arrest of violators that leave deposits on our mutual property.
JTA needs to recall the classic folk saying, "It's got to be the going, not the getting there that's good".
I'd be glad to organize this.
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: Ocklawaha on June 02, 2011, 05:57:26 PM
JTA not only needs to give the whole Skyway a face lift but we need to get away from some of the automation and assign some Jacksonville Ambassadors to double as Skyway Conductors. In fact a splash of Disney style magic, uniforms, and a police radio would go miles toward making the little system a clean family experience. Some Orange Cleaner or Pine Sol would kill some of the putrid odors. But a helpful Conductor Corp would discourage, report and arrange the arrest of violators that leave deposits on our mutual property.
[/b]
Those are good ideas. Maybe a cartoon mascot, too! Cleany, the No Pooing on the Skyway Pelican!
But seriously...give the Skyway a brand and protect the brand!
Quote from: danem on June 02, 2011, 09:00:22 PM
Those are good ideas. Maybe a cartoon mascot, too! Cleany, the No Pooing on the Skyway Pelican!
But seriously...give the Skyway a brand and protect the brand!
Cleany the Pelican is an idea with merit, does JTA interact with school groups and scout troops? What a project for a group of young people. Be nice if we could include that darn filthy, run down, ugly freeway through downtown. Our garden clubs ought to be ashamed... OCKLAWAHA
I really like this Pelican idea. If you called it The Pelican instead of the Skyway I think it would take away a lot of the stigma.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nWC4LR7ZU_k/TToOXaIBU3I/AAAAAAAAAeE/SmC9prYzRz4/s1600/rgrr.jpg)
Quote from: Dashing Dan on June 02, 2011, 10:09:21 PM
I really like this Pelican idea. If you called it The Pelican instead of the Skyway I think it would take away a lot of the stigma.
I agree.. the "Skyway" term seems to me to refer to a plane , not a monorail . :)
Man! has Mayor-elect Brown got his work cut out for him !
Pelican Pee & Poo Patrol <PPPP>
Quote from: danem on June 02, 2011, 09:00:22 PM
Quote from: Ocklawaha on June 02, 2011, 05:57:26 PM
JTA not only needs to give the whole Skyway a face lift but we need to get away from some of the automation and assign some Jacksonville Ambassadors to double as Skyway Conductors. In fact a splash of Disney style magic, uniforms, and a police radio would go miles toward making the little system a clean family experience. Some Orange Cleaner or Pine Sol would kill some of the putrid odors. But a helpful Conductor Corp would discourage, report and arrange the arrest of violators that leave deposits on our mutual property.
[/b]
Those are good ideas. Maybe a cartoon mascot, too! Cleany, the No Pooing on the Skyway Pelican!
But seriously...give the Skyway a brand and protect the brand!
I nominate myself, I'll design the mascot for free. Or they can use one of my children's book characters, Bird the Seagull.
(http://home.comcast.net/~cartoonistaaron/buddyandbird.jpg)
He doesn't look real seagull-ish, does he?
@iMarvin - JTA has a specific page designated to Skyway discussions just like this one. It might be helpful to post yoru comments there so it gets to the right people. JTA has a new Mass Transit Director. There's an icon on their homepage.
Quote from: exnewsman on June 03, 2011, 02:42:33 PM
@iMarvin - JTA has a specific page designated to Skyway discussions just like this one. It might be helpful to post yoru comments there so it gets to the right people. JTA has a new Mass Transit Director. There's an icon on their homepage.
:) Thanks I was wondering how I could tell them about this. I will definetly use it.