"This month's Springfield Area Merchants & Business Association general meeting will be held Thursday, August 13, 2009 from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. James Boyle of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) will be the guest speaker.
He will highlight several planned transit improvements (i.e.. Bus Rapid Transit, Streetcar, Commuter Rail, etc.) that will impact the Springfield Historic District and answer questions and concerns regarding them.
The meeting will be held at SPAR Council's office (1321 North Main Street).
For more information on JTA's future plans, visit: http://www.jtafla.com/RTS/showPage.aspx?Sel=5"
Thanks for posting, wish I could make it to the meeting. Looks like we're still getting BRT on Boulevard. Can't say I'm excited. Hopefully it will be the no-impact they claim cause far be it from this city to listen to any of its citizens' concerns. The beaches are looking better and better. :(
SPAR has been told by representatives from JTA that the area IS NOT getting BRT on Boulevard, and that JTA just hasn't updated the map on its web site. I find it a bit, ok, very, difficult to trust any municipal dept/agency, so I hope the SAMBA mtg attendees will put this to JTA again.
Zoo you don't trust your government????
How can BRT avoid Boulevard north of 8th Street? Due to the compact setting of single family residences along this narrow stretch road, it is the most incompatible area for express buses.
I know the neighborhood prefers Jefferson, south of 8th but is there a position on the residential areas to the north?
Did anyone go to the meeting? What was said?
I went, however the issue of BRT down Jefferson never really came up. Commuter rail, streetcars and the PCT were discussed more. The general theme was if you want mass transit, get vocal and demand that city leaders step up and help deliver the goods.
Darn, I couldn't go after all the planning we did to egg the speaker... Now I'm sorry I couldn't pull it off. Darn!
OCKLAWAHA
man Ock, you were going to egg the speaker? thats pretty mean! the speaker may have egged you back....hahaha
if its not going on Blvd, what route will the BRT take?
Quote from: thelakelander on August 13, 2009, 11:30:50 PM
I went, however the issue of BRT down Jefferson never really came up. Commuter rail, streetcars and the PCT were discussed more. The general theme was if you want mass transit, get vocal and demand that city leaders step up and help deliver the goods.
So the *real* point of the meeting wasn't to ask for ideas or improvements, it was to motivate people to b!tch at their politicians so JTA can get more $$$ to mismanage. Niiiiiiiiiice....
No. I asked a JTA representative to come out and speak to the Springfield business community about how their future mass transit plans impacted Springfield. I did this because I believe its important for the community to understand their plans, the differences between modes, timelines and how they could impact Springfield. My hope is that the community becomes involved in the planning of all the transit modes, so that they will be implemented in a way that helps achieve the redevelopment goals of the neighborhood.
Quote from: tufsu1 on August 14, 2009, 11:49:13 AM
if its not going on Blvd, what route will the BRT take?
Main, Pearl (north of 12th), etc. Along with Boulevard and Jefferson, all have their pros and cons, but I don't believe a true discussion has ever taken place that evaluates all of these options, along with the goals of the communities impacted.
I hope someone is taking into consideration the aged infrastructure under some of the streets they are planning to use. Rapid Transit until the bus falls into a sinkhole.
Seems to me that Broad is the easiest route up through Shands....but I could definitely support shifting to Pearl or Main north of 12th Street.
Main Street (at least south of 8th) should be reserved for streetcars!
Quote from: tufsu1 on August 15, 2009, 12:14:11 AM
Seems to me that Broad is the easiest route up through Shands....but I could definitely support shifting to Pearl or Main north of 12th Street.
Main Street (at least south of 8th) should be reserved for streetcars!
Historical routes north were on:
Florida Avenue/Randolph
Walnut
Main
Pearl
Davis
Myrtle
(also parts of Phoenix, Panama, Myrtle, Kings)
This is important because these same streets have more retail, wholesale, financial, building fabric still in place. OCKLAWAHAFSUJAX Who does this JTA guy think he is? He wanted to egg me?
I think these photos highlight several issues.
Boulevard: Brentwood/New Springfield
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-8407-p1180285.JPG)
Pearl: Brentwood/New Springfield
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-8385-p1180388.JPG)
Now put on your neighborhood quality of life and usability thinking caps on and ask yourselves these questions.
1. Should express buses run on residential or commercial streets?
2. Which street appears to be wider?
3. Which street would benefit from streetscape, landscaping and intersection improvement upgrades that could come with BRT?
4. Guess which street the proposed express bus line will run down (hint: its not Pearl). After viewing the images and answering the questions above, do you think Boulevard is the best choice?
(http://www.trainweather.com/043005NiteStreetcarRvrMktStop-7R1.jpg)
Hey thinkers, several city public works maps show RAILS still in place up and down Pearl. Though I don't think a single street with track remains in our city, Pearl offers more life then many newer destination roads. "The Electric 7," is a railroad route that starts at Beaver next to the big union warehouse (behind Maxwel House), and runs straight up through Springfield, just a couple hundred feet east of Iona. Where the line crosses the Norfolk Southern, next to the "S Line" it runs under the 20Th Street Expressway, then curves northwest directly up and behind the Gateway shopping center, ending at Norwood. It is impossible for me to drive, walk or fly over this area without seeing the streetcars. In the name of Jesus, WHY DON'T WE ALREADY HAVE THEM? DID YOU KNOW A VINTAGE STREETCAR REVIVAL WAS A JACKSONVILLE IDEA? WE WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST! TODAY WE'LL FALL INTO THE 70 - 75Th CITY BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT GETS ON THE TRAIN.
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: nvrenuf on August 14, 2009, 01:56:30 PM
I hope someone is taking into consideration the aged infrastructure under some of the streets they are planning to use. Rapid Transit until the bus falls into a sinkhole.
Funny and yet so true. I think they fix the sinkhole on Jefferson and State about once every other month. And although the real brick looks gorgeous, in most places it's more hassel than it's worth. On that note however, if they could fix Jefferson I think this would be a great starting point, as well as Main St.
At the rate we are going no Springfield road will be able to handle any transit vehciles, the whole place is sinking in. I love playing dodge the sinkholes and barricades! The massive hole on E 3rd St (featured on Firstcoast News) continues to get bigger!
So THE issue that generated dozens of posts on this board, and is apparently a hot button issue in Springfield - BRT on Jefferson - was never brought up by any of the Springfield residents? Maybe it isn't such a big deal after all? Just sayin'
Placing the median back on Pearl Street, from downtown all the way to the Trout River would create one heck of a nice streetcar arterial route. The Gateway Mall - Springfield - A. P. Randolph route would cross it below 44Th street. If the median couldn't be restored, we could take a page from our own past (what Little Rock recently did) and place the rails between the street and sidewalk.
BRT on the otherhand would require a full bus lane, more pavement, and spell the end to the classic roads we all grew up with.
We just located a new photo in the downtown Library, it might be the ONLY photo that shows the Ortega - Camp Johnson streetcar line. It clearly shows the cement roadway near Venetia Village, on the East and the Jacksonville Traction Tracks, butted right up to the pavements edge on the west side of the street. Once again, when we abandoned our system, we didn't just junk a bunch of old traffic hazard streetcars. As the MJ teams keep digging we keep finding evidence that the whole system (except for downtown on Bay, Forsyth and the first few blocks of Main) was on PRIVATE RIGHT OF WAY. This news is huge, it tells us our streetcars were on the cutting edge of the science, and now 80 years later, we are trying to reinvent the wheel by sending our buses down their own "track"...
As the old saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig, or shave and paint a Skunk, the results will still be the same.
OCKLAWAHA