Why Jacksonville Should Immediately Invest In Rail

[JeffreyS]

^Traffic is not the most important reason to invest in rail.  The ecconomic benefits are. The investment it spurs, the more sustainable growth it creates and even if neithers of those occurs just the money you save on building new roads and less ware on existing roads make it worthwile.  We need sustainable growth in this state not tree hugger speak we need it's ecconomic advantages.

[thelakelander]

mtrain, if we took you're advice there would have never been a commuter rail or streetcar study, the billion dollar BRT plan would be under construction through the heart of DT and this city would be worse off than it is today.  If we took your advice, for all we know, Friendship Fountain could have been in its last days and we would have hotdog carts on the Main Street Bridge.  In the Jim Crow era, if we took your advice, people like me would still be drinking out of separate water fountains and riding in the back of the bus.  The moral of the story is, if you want change don't quit with your message if people don't listen the first, second or third time.  Keep fighting the tide is turning.

[thelakelander]

Good point, JeffreyS.  Its really more important to our future from an economic perspective.  All said and done, its also a lot cheaper the the crazy revitalization ideas this city keeps coming up and losing its investments in.  Stop trying to recreate the wheel and follow the path that continues to produce solid successful results.

[tufsu1]

TUFSU, really, what is it about you?  Does it empower you in some way to try and delegitimize a site that you spend hours of your day posting on?

If no one is paying attention to the rail discussion, why do you bother posting in it?

Or is this the backhand way of admitting that they do in fact read the site, but still being able to disassociate yourself from the content with a potential employer.

Its a little annoying.

The "powers that be" follow the site as well.  So we have to drill these points home from time to time.  

well one of those "powers that be" told me the other day that the light rail discussion in Jax. is overblown....that maybe there would be a need in 20 years...and that we shouldn't put anymore $ into the skyway!

Stephen...I wasn't suggesting this "power that be" is correct (I was actually very saddened)...I was just restating what was said.

Also, please stop bringing up the "employer" thing....it  too is getting a little annoying!

[finehoe]

Demographic shifts and changing values will increase demand for pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use communities in both urban and suburban settings, according to John McIlwain of the Urban Land Institute. "The age of suburbanization and growing homeownership is over," McIlwain said in a recent report, "Housing in America: The Next Decade." "The coming decades will be the time of the great reurbanization as 24/7 central cities grow and suburbs around the country are redeveloped with new or revived walkable suburban town centers." This transition will be fueled by the growth of two-person households, an end to baby boomers' suburban infatuation, and public policies designed to stimulate compact development.

http://www.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2010/02/01/the-future-of-housing-demand-4-key-demographic-trends.html

[Coolyfett]

I try to explain this type of information to people I meet, and they never want to listen. People just have a die hard lust for their automobiles. The posters on this site is not just a small group of people in Jax, but it is a small group nation wide. The way people were forced to own automobiles is the way they need to be forced back on the trains. Cars take up a lot of space and use a lot of energy. I don't know man. The car situation is just going to get worse. I actually liked when gas prices were going up, because less people were driving ang less accidents happened. Its just crazy man. Europe gets it, us Americans though.......whole other story. waste waste waste.

[Coolyfett]

Here's a sign: Print it out and let's start a protest at City Hall.

this was one of your better transit oriented articles, clearly showing the arguments for rail over bus with something that a politician might actually listen to.

bus?? Buses are not the problem, The number of automobiles on roads and expressways are an issue.

[Coolyfett]

JTA needs to get it together and realize America is leaving Jacksonville......

Who is leaving Jax behind? New York, Chicago, DC? America is not moving. America is stuck in traffic.  Who is expanding their systems in this country??? Jax needs to get rught, but so does other places.

[Coolyfett]

I like saving and keeping MY money, I have full control to choose my mode of transportation. If I can not reach it, I just order it online. 5ome of the norse creatures are funny, but the world is a very big place, it is also not flat.....go figure. 

[thelakelander]

Who is leaving Jax behind? First, lets throw out the big boys such as NYC, Chicago and even smaller big players like Atlanta and Miami.  These communities are clearly on another tier.  With them out of the way, here are a few places I say fits the description:

Orlando
San Antonio
Indianapolis
Charlotte
Austin
Raleigh
Norfolk
Nashville
Oklahoma City
Salt Lake City
Tucson
Albuquerque

All of these places are not much larger, smaller or denser than our community.  They all also happen to be investing in similar projects (that promote connectivity) that are proving to be successful at attracting urban development and an educated workforce along with the companies they tend to work for.  Basically, the same people and business we say we would like to attract and maintain.  

In the meantime, we're walking around with our thumb stuck up our butts still struggling to realize why after pumping hundreds of millions into the urban core, true vibrancy and sustainability is still hard to come by.  This stuff isn't rocket science and outside of not having a vision or the balls to implement one, Jax is no different from the rest of them.  

[thelakelander]

However, you are right.  There are some other places like Jax, that need to get their act together.  Toledo, Rochester, Buffalo, Tampa, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Birmingham and Richmond come to mind.

[Coolyfett]

Who is leaving Jax behind? First, lets throw out the big boys such as NYC, Chicago and even smaller big players like Atlanta and Miami.  These communities are clearly on another tier.  With them out of the way, here are a few places I say fits the description:

Orlando
San Antonio
Indianapolis
Charlotte
Austin
Raleigh
Norfolk
Nashville
Oklahoma City
Salt Lake City
Tucson
Albuquerque

All of these places are not much larger, smaller or denser than our community.  They all also happen to be investing in similar projects (that promote connectivity) that are proving to be successful at attracting urban development and an educated workforce along with the companies they tend to work for.  Basically, the same people and business we say we would like to attract and maintain. 

In the meantime, we're walking around with our thumb stuck up our butts still struggling to realize why after pumping hundreds of millions into the urban core, true vibrancy and sustainability is still hard to come by.  This stuff isn't rocket science and outside of not having a vision or the balls to implement one, Jax is no different from the rest of them. 

Those cities all have new systems? If so that is great. I may be guilty of having my world being The World. Although I do like undergroud or elevated rail better than the street car OPTION, but it is just that an option.

Whats with the name calling on this site? Options are are good for everyone. If it is actually a FREE country why do need to own an automobile to go to work, to school, or to a ballgame or concert? That does not sound like freedom to me. That sounds like control.

[thelakelander]

Those cities all have new systems? If so that is great. I may be guilty of having my world being The World. Although I do like undergroud or elevated rail better than the street car OPTION, but it is just that an option.

New, Under Construction, Planned

Orlando
San Antonio
Indianapolis (no system but has embraced connectivity through development, site design patterns)
Charlotte
Austin
Raleigh
Norfolk
Nashville
Oklahoma City
Salt Lake City
Tucson
Albuquerque

Whats with the name calling on this site? Options are are good for everyone. If it is actually a FREE country why do need to own an automobile to go to work, to school, or to a ballgame or concert? That does not sound like freedom to me. That sounds like control.

What name calling?

[Coolyfett]

I wasnt talking about u with the name calling. Id like to see Jax move in the right direction Lake. but Jax has many many things in the way.

[thelakelander]

No doubt, but if we don't stand up to the many many things in the way, nothing will ever change.