Downtown Bus Rapid Transit Project Moving Forward

[thelakelander]

Answer 1) BRT as in stupid looking buses and frequent headways.

Answer 2) Start at the top and recycle down.  Appoint a new board with a real understanding and background in transportation planning and land use integration.  Since the mayor gets to appoint someone, there should be an opportunity to add some new blood and ideas in the upcoming years. 

Answer 3) It won't if we don't speak up and force it to become a platform issue in 2011.  Now is the time to rally around these ideas and voice them publicly to set the tone down the stretch.

[Captain Zissou]

So we are spending $12 million to lift the Skyway off the rails and drop it on the ground..? Perfect. stjr should be pleased.  This is ridiculous.  All this does is duplicate a system that works fine, just 20 feet overhead.  In my opinion, this is as bad as the hot dog stands on the Main Street Bridge.

[Ocklawaha]

Okay boys and girls, who wants to pull a protest permit and we'll stand at city hall one day next month and blast the hell out of this waste of money.

Signs?

Someone get us some "NO BRT", "NO JTA OPERATED TRANSIT", "NO BUS RAPID TRANSIT", "JACKSONVILLE DEMANDS RAIL", "WE WANT STREETCARS", "STREETCAR NOW!"

Tee shirts? Let's meet em at the palace!


OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

For 12 million dollars of the BRT, how much trolley action could we get?

Using Little Rock's numbers, $12 million would get you from the Prime Osborn to Five Points.  Since we already have the skyway, you would be able to travel between FCCJ/Rosa Parks and the Southbank's Kings Avenue to Five Points without the use of a car or bus. 

[xian1118]

I nominate thelakelander for special mayoral task force on mass transit.

it is mind boggling how all of the planning divisions and infrastructure providers can't get together and design a city center that is accretive to economic development. that and I understand that Jacksonville "missed the bus," or trolley, as it were, for stimulus money for public transportation due to lack of a sustainable plan for improvement...I'm sure I'll be linked to a story as I haven't been able to read MJAX over the past few months...

[Ocklawaha]

Don't look now JTA but I saw this last Friday!



OCKLAWAHA

[TheProfessor]

The only nice thing about this plan are the new bus shelters.  I agree you don't need dedicated lanes since there is no traffic in this area already.  If this route is tied into the airport, the beach, or Orange Park then I would agree with it, but as of now it makes no sense!

[thelakelander]

It's tied into the airport in that this "route" (the DT segment) will be driven on by most of the buses coming in and out of downtown before they branch off on various local streets to access various neighborhoods and areas of town. 

[TheProfessor]

According to a map the BRT terminates at a Wal-Mart, not JIA.

[TheProfessor]

I asked JTA why they did this and they said they did the route based on ridership and that it could possibly be extended to JTA in the future.  I told them they needed more destinations to encourage ridership.  They don't get it.

[fsujax]

Less Downtown workers now to use BRT or commuter rail. It's official now. Adecco is leaving.

http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-07-27/story/adecco-moving-jacksonvilles-southside

Such an outrage. Why isn't our chamber or City Hall doing a better job of being champion DT for jobs? Where the heck is any civic pride from these businesses? To me much more of a blow for downtown that this brt plan.

[Doctor_K]

According to a map the BRT terminates at a Wal-Mart, not JIA.

Close enough for JTA.  Travellers shouldnt resent walking so much.  If you ask TUFSU, he would suggest additionally installing meters and charging them for storing their luggage while they find the Walmart.

Just your luck, they'd finally be the 'smart' meters to boot.

[thelakelander]

According to a map the BRT terminates at a Wal-Mart, not JIA.

This BRT plan isn't a fixed system.  Its a network of roads that the majority of city buses will use at some point along their route to where ever they are going.  For example, the CT3 is the bus that takes you to the airport.  It will use these BRT lanes to get through downtown before getting off the BRT "spine" to hop back on other streets.

CT3 route

The CT3 route will most likely use these proposed BRT lanes between stops C and E on its route map.

[heights unknown]

In my opinion (which ain't worth much), this is a waste.  If the current transportation system doesn't garner optimum ridership, or is not successful and doesn't really go "nowhere," what makes anyone think that this will work?  Make the current transportation system successful first to the point of increased and optimum ridership, which MIGHT justify adding on a Rapid Transit System (if needed).  Again, my opinion...no justification at present for this type of system; ridership nor destinations do not support or justify that need right now.

"HU"

[heights unknown]

I asked JTA why they did this and they said they did the route based on ridership and that it could possibly be extended to JTA in the future.  I told them they needed more destinations to encourage ridership.  They don't get it.

No clue do they have.  I'll bet it's someone with a Master's Degree or P.H.D., that think they know it all, but in the process are not thinking, that came up with this genius idea.  "Let's build a rapid transit system so that people can hop on it and ride it!" Vague thinking.  I have a degree also but not a Masters or P.H.D., and, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to assess, think, and know that you first need a reason or justification for something before you build it.  Just because you build it doesn't mean people will ride it.  Where's destinations?  People? Restaurants? Night Clubs? or Businesses along these proposed routes that will support and/or justify ridership?  Geesh!!!!!!!

"HU"