Groundbreaking for Jax's Bus Rapid Transit on Monday
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3691160946_PPMZKx9-M.jpg)
It's taken over a decade to reach this point. On Monday, November 17, 2014, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will be in town for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit (BRT) system.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-nov-groundbreaking-for-jaxs-bus-rapid-transit-on-monday
Did the mansions on Euclid survive to modern day or were they largely demolished just as the Riverside Ave. nes were here.
They were demolished.
non-sequitor? Did I miss something? What do mansions on Euclid Avenue have to do with the BRT story? And what is "Riverside Ave. nes"? (Please understand, this is pre-coffee, so it might make perfect sense once properly caffeinated. :) )
JTA needs a proof-reader, several typos in the JTA materials reproduced in the article.
If my early morning arithmetic is working, they are talking about having 49 CNG buses in service (plus spares, I assume) by 2019.
Quote from: Charles Hunter on November 13, 2014, 06:53:09 AM
And what is "Riverside Ave. nes"? (Please understand, this is pre-coffee, so it might make perfect sense once properly caffeinated. :) )
The two example BRT systems shown are the Kansas City Max and Cleveland HealthLine. Both are seen as being successful implementations of BRT but have had different results in stimulating TOD. While the Max has been highly unsuccessful, the HealthLine's story has been different. Thus, a few reasons for development along the HealthLine are provided.
Those reasons primarily start and end with existing land uses and context along Euclid that aren't present along corridors like Philips, Lem Turner, etc. Given the context and adjacent land uses, a thoroughfare like Riverside Avenue, between St. Vincents and DT
(or combined with Broad/Jefferson to access UF Health Jax), would be the local equivalent of the HealthLine's Euclid Avenue. I'm not saying the corridor should be BRT. Instead, I'm just pointing out it's similar in terms of having a number of high employment anchors along a short stretch of roadway.
So it looks only the East and the North corridors actually connect together downtown. That means that for the other routes one would have to transfer on the downtown connector right? For example, I live in Riverside and work near the Avenues. I would have to take the Southwest route into downtown, get on the downtown route and take that over to San Marco and then get on the Southeast route to get to my final destination- 2 transfers. I feel like it would be more beneficial to have the Southeast route go all the way into downtown.
I believe the Downtown project is infrastructure, moreso than anything else. When its all said and done, multiple BRT routes and regular buses will cross the Acosta and run on Broad and Jefferson through downtown.
2 transfers would be a bummer. I could deal with 1 though. However if this actually does run on 10 minute peak headways 2 might not be that bad. Definitely better that the regular service. Currently it would take me 1 hour and 36 minutes to make the trip from where I live to the Avenues. That is why I take my car, by myself, to work everyday. Will be nice to have a more feasible option.
I believe in your case, you'd have one transfer to make at the JRTC.
$13,271,861+/- 19 CNG buses
$17,500.000 +/- 5 modern streetcars
Bus capacity 40 passengers
Streetcar capacity 170 passengers
Bus total capacity 19 vehicles = 760
With 19 drivers
Streetcar capacity 5 vehicles = 850
With 5 operators
Bus life expectancy = 12 years
Streetcar life expectancy = 30 years
Wow lake, I sure am glad that JTA is smarter then we are!
Quote from: Charles Hunter on November 13, 2014, 06:53:09 AM
non-sequitor? Did I miss something? What do mansions on Euclid Avenue have to do with the BRT story? And what is "Riverside Ave. nes"? (Please understand, this is pre-coffee, so it might make perfect sense once properly caffeinated. :) )
JTA needs a proof-reader, several typos in the JTA materials reproduced in the article.
If my early morning arithmetic is working, they are talking about having 49 CNG buses in service (plus spares, I assume) by 2019.
I've never been to Cleveland myself, but was familiar with the history of the row of mansions that use to line Riverside Ave. Only two of them, out of 50, remain today.
The mansions don't have anything to do with BRT, but I was wondering if they had met a better fate than the 48 or so mansions that were leveled on Riverside Ave. in JAX. I left the "o" off of the word 'ones that I intended to type.
Went to Savannah over the weekend and saw the streetcars there! SIGH!!!
what...no thread on the exciting 2040 long-range transportation plan approved unanimously by the North Florida TPO Board today?
...Oh how exciting... YAWN!
Glossy marketing and logos for what is essentially an express bus service. It will look nice. Glad they took the advice and called it "First Coast" something. I don't like the JTA logo for branding purposes. They can still use it as a corporate identity, just shrink it down and put it under the drivers window for something. Good idea to emphasize the Flyer logo instead.
Quote from: spuwho on November 14, 2014, 01:03:38 AM
Glad they took the advice and called it "First Coast" something.
I was fine with the "MAX" name.
Here's my issue with the "First Coast Flyer,": it's not BRT. It's an enhanced bus service, which isn't the same thing remotely.
Quote from: AaroniusLives on November 14, 2014, 11:13:39 AM
Here's my issue with the "First Coast Flyer,": it's not BRT.
by the Federal Transit Administration's definition, it is.
Quote from: tufsu1 on November 14, 2014, 11:17:04 AM
Quote from: AaroniusLives on November 14, 2014, 11:13:39 AM
Here's my issue with the "First Coast Flyer,": it's not BRT.
by the Federal Transit Administration's definition, it is.
And that's who's been driving this bus...
^Basically. However, locally, we need to know the difference regardless of what the FTA is officially calling it. Not knowing what true BRT is and expecting enhanced bus service to provide the same results only sets the public up for utter disappointment. We can start by not promising John Q Taxpayer that it's like LRT on rubber wheels, can be converted into LRT at a later date, or that it will generate transit oriented development. All those things are highly inaccurate and can be argued to be flat out disingenuous. We should keep it real and promote the benefits that it really will bring. That is, introduce a few reliable, clean, easy to understand major bus routes to our landscape. A few downtown streets will also get rebuilt in the process. That in and of itself, is a major positive.
Not sure if its related the BRT, but they are definately changing routes and adding stops. Over by my house alone, theyve added two bus stops along Morse. And several along Ricker rd. I had a friend who was staying with me at one point and he complained about how the closet stop was on Jammes or Blanding. Those new stops will be a definate plus for this area. Because before hand, there were very very few stops over here.
That's the route optimization work. The new routes begin in December and should result in several bus routes dropping down to 30 minute headways and under.
And some service disappearing. The closest stop is now just over a quarter mile from home - after Dec. 1, it will be over a mile. They gotta get the added service from somewhere.
QuoteWe should keep it real and promote the benefits that it really will bring. That is, introduce a few reliable, clean, easy to understand major bus routes to our landscape. A few downtown streets will also get rebuilt in the process. That in and of itself, is a major positive.
I agree, although without a dedicated lane or dedicated right of way, "enhanced bus service" does little to nothing to address travel time issues. Which is to say that for $2 million a mile, you get a snazzy bus and some snazzy shelters that slightly decrease travel times via snazzy traffic light tech. For $20-$25 million a mile, you get the snazzy shelters and traffic light tech while also offering significant decreases in travel time on that bus route.
I think in this case, incremental offerings (from slow, regular bus to slightly less slow but more snazzy bus,) doesn't demonstrate the benefits of exclusive right-of-way. A nice bus that goes slow doesn't solve the problem inherent with non-exclusive right of way issues.
It would ALSO help in the LRT and streetcar debate, which is to say that the arguments have been frequently muddled in this regard.
Streetcar advocates support that mode over BRT because for equivalent cost, you can choose one over the other...but only one (with true exclusive ROW BRT) gets you the speed and frequency you need to make a difference.
With Gold Standard BRT versus LRT, for the equivalent cost, you get both local, express and direct BRT service via a passing lane incorporated into the system.
Which is to say that with the enhanced bus service, you're not really making the leap into effective mass transit, at least in my opinion.
Quote from: AaroniusLives on November 19, 2014, 11:45:46 AM
I agree, although without a dedicated lane or dedicated right of way, "enhanced bus service" does little to nothing to address travel time issues.
not necessarily. There are things such as transit signal priority and intersection queue jumps that can vastly improve travel time. These will be employed at some locations along the BRT routes.