Did anyone catch "This Week In Jacksonville" on ch4 this weekend? Nat Ford said they're looking at extending the skyway to riverside.
http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/_557781/uiconf_id/13220662/entry_id/1_b81uruwn
Skip to 8 minutes. Skyway discussion is at 9:20
http://www.news4jax.com/politics/irs-scrutiny-jtas-new-leader-clay-county-election-efficiency-jtas-new-leader-baymeadows-changes/-/1875986/20359914/-/c8h5j0z/-/index.html
Wow! Overall real decent conversation. Sounds like the new guy is on the right track.
Good story. Wish him the best!!!
He is. So far I'd call him brilliant!
Wow thanks Core for uploading, some very positive points from the new man!
Good news. I wonder if he's aware JTA's bus routes still aren't on Google Maps transit schedule.
He knows.
What's the hold up with that? There are already like 8 cities in Florida that are on Google. We should be one.
^ +1
It will happen soon from what I hear.
Exciting. I believe that the expansion is coming as a part of the new development that is going up in Brooklyn. One of the earlier plans submitted by the developers included a skyway terminal at a previously proposed office building (now apartments). My hunch is that the terminal in question will have a similar location.
And as to NEED to get it across State and into FSCJ, the news just said someone was just mowed down by a bus at Laura and State. Possible fatality. It is bad no matter how you cut it but it seems even worse if it's one of our young students, lured to Rosa Parks by a truncated Skyway.
Things are really starting to buzz. I'm getting more excited by the minute!
I'm concerned that he still believes in the JRTC and the greyhound relocation.
Quote from: urbaknight on June 04, 2013, 01:36:40 PM
I'm concerned that he still believes in the JRTC and the greyhound relocation.
Isn't it "too late" to do anything about that? I thought groundbreaking was this summer.
Apparently, according to the most recent JRTC thread there is still time to move Greyhound. However, it would take a concerted community effort in my opinion to get the right people to listen.
Quote from: Ocklawaha on June 04, 2013, 12:40:29 PM
And as to NEED to get it across State and into FSCJ, the news just said someone was just mowed down by a bus at Laura and State. Possible fatality. It is bad no matter how you cut it but it seems even worse if it's one of our young students, lured to Rosa Parks by a truncated Skyway.
The news is now updating this story that it was a 61-year-old man (possibly walking with a cane) crossing mid-street while the bus had a green light. As terrible as downtown is for pedestrian safety, I think anyone that drives a lot through downtown knows 'pedestrians' are certainly to blame for their fair share of incidents.
^agreed, that "pedestrian always has right of way" attitude
and Ock, though I'd love to see Skyway all the way to 8th Street it will not prevent this. I would assume next logical stop would be 1st and Pearl and students up in front bldg and portables would not walk back.
I am not big on pedestrian bridges but if the skyway crosses there should be a pedestrian bridge attached.
^Agreed, however the speed limit there is only 30mph. However, due to its design that looks like a freeway, I get pushed off the road and I'm usually going 40-45. JSO or FHP need to hit between Matthews Bridge and I-95 for a couple weeks and slow people down. And lets remember, this was one incident. I can think of many more pedestrian crossings much more dangerous.
The easy way to fix the speed on state and union is to retime the lights....right now you get a green at one end and go 45 you get green the whole way
Quote from: tufsu1 on June 04, 2013, 08:09:32 PM
The easy way to fix the speed on state and union is to retime the lights....right now you get a green at one end and go 45 you get green the whole way
True, that will fix the speed, but not pedestrians walking across when they don't have the right of way.
I think pedestrian traffic will be greatly reduced once the new JTA station opens.
Quote from: tufsu1 on June 04, 2013, 08:09:32 PM
The easy way to fix the speed on state and union is to retime the lights....right now you get a green at one end and go 45 you get green the whole way
Speed adjustment and perhaps for the time being a mid block speed hump-cross walk, fully signaled with in street LED's at the Rosa Parks Station would pretty much stop it. A pedestrian walk from the Skyway station center platform should be an easy but more expensive fix. They could later add the track on each side.
Its true that a 'logical stop' would be at First and Pearl, but anytime you have have a huge collector/distributer such as the college, in the urban core, there is no reason why it can't stop at both. Actually if you curved NW right up close to the buildings and cut a diagonal across the parking lot, you could have a stop at the Hogan Creek Tower/Jefferson St. Pool/Klutho Park - The VA Clinic - and UF. I think the VA clinic could be the clincher on a Federal Grant. The way it is designed a station could be located virtually over the entry, and as they have already filled it or accounted for all of the space they still have a need for the VA canteen (cafe), PX and probably other services we could plug into and/or create such a package.
^ all good ideas, Ock ... doesn't Mr. Ford need a consultant from the community? *hint hint*
Quote from: JayBird on June 04, 2013, 10:52:16 PM
^ all good ideas, Ock ... doesn't Mr. Ford need a consultant from the community? *hint hint*
I second this. Watching the video he seems like a smart, reasonable man:)
Does anyone know what plans he submitted for the federal funds? I mean was it the basic station Metro Jacksonville proposed that sat on ground level, or was it the full plans that had two stops down Riverside ending across Forrest Street?
From what I understand, it is for one station close to the existing maintenance center....but due to restrictions on the TIGER grant program, it may be a bit more than something simple / no-frills
We've got an idea for that and a story in the pipeline with the details.
Quote from: Dapperdan on June 05, 2013, 08:57:39 AM
Does anyone know what plans he submitted for the federal funds? I mean was it the basic station Metro Jacksonville proposed that sat on ground level, or was it the full plans that had two stops down Riverside ending across Forrest Street?
Most likely, something in between. The minimum TIGER grant is $10 million and that $10 million can't exceed 80% of the project's capital cost.
QuoteFY 2013 Appropriations Act specifies the following additional requirements:
The FY 2013 Appropriations Act directs that not less than $120 million of the funds provided for projects in rural areas.
TIGER Discretionary Grants is to be used for projects located in rural areas. TIGER Discretionary Grants may be used for up to 80 percent of the costs of a project, but priority must be given to projects for which Federal funding is required to complete an overall financing package and projects can increase their competitiveness by demonstrating significant non-Federal contributions. DOT may increase the Federal share above 80 percent only for projects located in rural areas, in which case DOT may fund up to 100 percent of the costs of a project. Therefore, for projects located in urban areas, based on the statutory requirements of at least 20 percent non-Federal cost share and a minimum grant size of $10 million, the minimum total project size for an eligible project is $12.5 million (where the minimum $10 million TIGER Discretionary Grant request represents 80 percent of the total project cost). The minimum total project size for an eligible project in a rural area is $1million (where the entire project cost is funded with a TIGER Discretionary Grant). However, the statutory requirement to give priority to projects that use Federal funds to complete an overall financing package applies to project located in rural areas as well, and projects located in rural areas can increase their competitiveness for purposes of the TIGER program by demonstrating significant non-Federal financial contributions.
http://www.dot.gov/tiger/application-resources
If we have to go further than a platform at the maintenance barn then we should go to RAM.
If you take a look at this website (I believe from Ock?) http://lightrailjacksonville.webs.com/futuretransitinjax.htm (http://lightrailjacksonville.webs.com/futuretransitinjax.htm) it actually proposes a route that parallels Riverside to Forest, then works over to Roselle and turns north to terminate at Annie Lytle. Just an idea, however I tend to like it. Not only does it reuse a historical building nicely, but it also allows for further infill in a constantly growing area (Riverside).
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Ocklawaha/TRANSIT%20monorail%20and%20Skyway/BrooklynSkyway-1.jpg)
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Ocklawaha/TRANSIT%20monorail%20and%20Skyway/ANNIEPSFOURTC.png)
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Ocklawaha/TRANSIT%20monorail%20and%20Skyway/AnnieLyttleSkywayTerminal-2.jpg)
This terminal would be about 1/2-mile walk to RAM, but if streetcar ran down Riverside that would provide closer access.
Beautiful concept. And the Atlantic Blvd/San MarcoSkyway extension is on the same site. This would need a simililar investment as the Brooklyn extention, and would dovetail with East San Marco, the St. Joe's/Regency mixed use development planned a block away from the proposed station.
Maybe federal $$$ are available for upgrades linked to the new I-95/Atlantic Blvd interchage?
And San Marco would be a great gateway station for light rail from St. Augustine, or FEC's All Aboard Florida passenger rail service.
Yeah, that'd be pretty good. Should increase ridership enough where a lot of those people in our little "Financial District" there might be able to take it downtown for lunch.
Yes it was my concept. I liked the idea that JTA could lease spaces to cafes, studios and boutiques at Annie. As for access, a little harder to draw, was a 'Grande Paseo' or walk from the front door, over the little pond, and matching the diagonal sidewalk straight into 5-Points. There is a plan (as if JTA paid any attention to the idea) for both a bus drive through under the Skyway in back, as well as a streetcar possibility ironically very close to the original line which is now under I-10. Lastly the original Skyway plan had it running down Riverside (the segment from Forest southward now pretty solidly in the streetcar plan) with a turn on Roselle. Had they built it the Skyway would have actually had a terminal west of I-10 a couple of blocks into the neighborhood beyond the FDOT building.
The concept had another intention besides all of the positives of mass transit. JTA would be hailed as a local 'HERO AGENCY' for saving and repurposing the old school. Support would have skyrocketed and the PR would easily been worth several million dollars.
Don't dispare, there is another somewhat similar plan and a story in the pipeline that would achieve like laurels for JTA.
Very nice concept there.
Quote from: Ocklawaha on June 05, 2013, 10:52:08 PM
Don't dispare, there is another somewhat similar plan and a story in the pipeline that would achieve like laurels for JTA.
Yes!!!