Trimming the Fat: How to reduce the cost of JTA's BRT

[cline]

Or perhaps you could use 3rd Street (A1A) as the north/south connection instead of San Pablo. 

[tayana42]

I am deeply impressed with the fact that (a) you guys care enough to actually STUDY this esoteric transport stuff AND come up with what reads like doable,  more sensible alternatives.  I've never been very impressed with the proposals I've seen coming out of JTA.  That makes me wonder who they are responsible to.  Must be the politician who appointed them, because is sure doesn't seem to be us, the people.

Keep banging on the drum; more people are hearing it every day.  Eventually, enough caring people will join with you and MAKE something happen. 

[finehoe]

I've never been very impressed with the proposals I've seen coming out of JTA.  That makes me wonder who they are responsible to. 

Developers, landowners.

[CS Foltz]

I've never been very impressed with the proposals I've seen coming out of JTA.  That makes me wonder who they are responsible to.

Developers, landowners.

Don't forget the "Nifty Fifty"! The actual taxpayer in the trenches comes in a distant third.....maybe!

[tufsu1]

are you implying that the Nifty Fifty and developers aren't taxpayers?

[urbanlibertarian]

It's not JTA's fault that they are a government agency and therefore intrinsically incapable of being efficient or pleasing customers.

[CS Foltz]

tufsu.............the Nifty Fifty and developers employ tax lawyers and accountants up the wazoo to keep from paying! I am not saying they don't pay, but if they pay what they should rather than what they do.....that trickle down theory might work!

[JeffreyS]

It's not JTA's fault that they are a government agency and therefore intrinsically incapable of being efficient or pleasing customers.

Agreed but it is the public's fault that Government operates this way.  The public says do everything on the cheap and never excel.  Just do whatever lowers taxes and looks good on this hour's budget.  If it will last or stand out then we may have spent a dollar too much for election time.

[buckethead]

Government projects are almost always more costly that their private sector counterparts. I would not say the public is clamoring for doing things "on the cheap".

Now sprawl is what the public has voted for, right here in our home town. Sprawl is yet another example of the public voting for a more costly alternative.

Land away from an urban core is often cheaper by the acre, but new infrastructure spreading to kingdom come is not.

What people really want is the best of the best, on someone else's dime.

[CS Foltz]

More cost effective solutions from any government would be nice also big guy! Sometimes, cost is secondary, to the most for the public good! IMHO..............some accountability would also be a nice touch, since we vote into office most of the guidance counselors for our collective well being or at least those that are supposed to have the republic's best interest at heart!

[JeffreyS]

Government projects are almost always more costly that their private sector counterparts. I would not say the public is clamoring for doing things "on the cheap".

Now sprawl is what the public has voted for, right here in our home town. Sprawl is yet another example of the public voting for a more costly alternative.

Land away from an urban core is often cheaper by the acre, but new infrastructure spreading to kingdom come is not.

What people really want is the best of the best, on someone else's dime.

You are right in that the public isn't clamoring for what is the cheapest but what they think is the cheapest.  The famous example being the military buys a hammer and no one fusses because it looks cheap and the urban legend is they paid thousands for it.  Same with sprawl the public just doesn't realize it isn't cheap they think it is all private and spread out over a thousand smaller projects instead of one giant urban improvement like transit.

I think you are wrong about people wanting the government to spend our money.  Republicans have won most of the elections over the past 30 years with their dishonest narrative that they spend less money and create less debt. Example Reagan blaming "Welfare Queens" because single poor women were easy to take political advantage of. Then Reagan created our national debt problem for every new President to follow suit.

[thelakelander]

I think you are wrong about people wanting the government to spend our money.  Republicans have won most of the elections over the past 30 years with their dishonest narrative that they spend less money and create less debt.

Democrats tend to lose because they continue to fail to present a logical visual argument that this isn't true.

[CS Foltz]

Gentlemen...........it might be time to consider a political alternative! I don't refer to the Tea Part either, but a viable third party that actually might represent the people who put them into office! I don't know about yall, but I get tired of chosing between an apple and an orange! Along with someone from anyParty/ Agency telling me.....this is the best option when I am quite capable of deciding for myself!

[dlemore]

If JTA is planning on having bus service to the Avenues mall every 15 min why not have bus service to the outlet mall and downtown St. Augustine from the Avenues mall.  Greyhound only has bus service to St Augustine 3 times a day 4:45 am, 12:45 pm, 5:30pm and returns 3 times a day 10:45AM, 3:05PM, 8:45pm (Not Very Frequent!) Of course Rail Service would be a better way to travel in order to avoid traffic and gas consumption.

[thelakelander]

The Sunshine bus company connects the Avenues with these destinations already.

http://www.sunshinebus.net/