The City

[fsujax]

Do they do this on purpose to keep people from being able to attend?

Why don't you call James and ask him?

[tufsu1]

Do they do this on purpose to keep people from being able to attend?

Why don't you call James and ask him?

who is this James guy you speak of?

[JeffreyS]

I called but did not leave a message will call again tomorrow.  I may be over it tomorrow, but I had the wife busy and the kid at the grandparents stayed late at the office to be close and boom I have no more excuses not to go to the gym.

[02roadking]

Do they do this on purpose to keep people from being able to attend?

Why don't you call James and ask him?

That is funny fsujax... at least to me,   

[gatorback]

So when we gonna start seeing hovercrafts on the river.

[Ocklawaha]

Speaking for the "enemy"?? Not!

James happens to be one of the finest young minds at JTA... An honor I would extend to Scott Clem, Victoria and a host of others. Even the much picked on or joked about Mike Miller is good at what he does (image and presence).


The Dream

James came on the scene when the Jacksonville Public started pushing the ideas of River Transit. When the riverwalk was first complete, we had all sorts of cute and interesting craft as river-taxi's. It looked like a business who's day had come. The public began to think "River" and connect the dots on the maps. JTA took a serious look at it, in fact several groups did.


The Reality

Interestingly, no one on the river in "Ortega", "San Jose", "Mandarin", "Orange Park" or "Hibernia" are dependent on public transit in even a remote manner. Offer them something as slow as a car? Faster and we run into issues over Manatees, Gators, pleasure boats, and the FEC bridge...etc. Add to this maybe a conventional craft. Slower still. Try the fuel equasion- interesting again, far less per passenger then an automobile and with a hovercraft, or hydroplane craft, far, far less then conventional boats, AT SPEED. So shift the focus downriver, to Talleyrand, JU, Arlington, Trout River, Blount Island, Mayport or the Intercoastal.
Talleyrand, JU/Arlington could be served by the conventional water taxi without much effort. Trout River has a train bridge in the path. Draw bridge? Ha! Yes, but it's one of the LAST hand cranked bridges in America, not exactly commuter material. Blount Island is well connected to freeways which could be served by BRT from the South or by Rail from the West and Downtown. Mayport is isolated and the Wonderwood Connector pretty well negates anyone wanting a boat ride from downtown, or Orange Park even if it were available. The intercoastal... Uh, NO, there isn't a damn thing on it south of Beach and can't you see the thousands that would pack those boats in St. Augustine to make the "Round Cape Horn" journey via Mayport, past Blount Island and upriver to town? NOT! Certainly not when the FEC could get them downtown at 90 MPH (State Rail Passenger Plan 2006). So the whole dream has fumbled into a distant nice but no cigar...


Down goes the plan...

Maybe still some merrit in the Ortega, Cedar Hills, Cedar River area's to Downtown, but again a BRT on Blanding and Rail on CSX would quickly snuff it out. The ONE area where this idea has NOT been explored and may never be is Argyle Forrest to NAS JAX. We have the Ortega River which is narrow but submarine deep. Some small turning canal at Yukon, perhaps by the park across from the Main Gate, and perfect site for rebuilding the rail station would be a good turning point.



Otherwise, several of our developers (3) recently suggested narrow gauge. Did you know that ENGLAND has a commuter rail line the RH&D that is 16" gauge? The Worlds smallest common carrier. Think about that Argyle-Ortega River-Yukon corridor... anyone up for 15" or 14"? Want a WORLD TOURIST destination that WORKS?


With track like the FEC and 10-20 trains a day it's REAL, sharp eyes can see the "Engine Drivers" head sticking up right behind the locomotive cab for a sense of scale. But of course we're WAY too smart to do this!

Victoria, James, Scott, Mike, take a bow.

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Sadly, for better or worse the river idea is dead. JTA said so in a release to the transportation citizens groups in each of the last 2 or 3 meetings.


Englands tiny mini-mighty RH&D RY.

The narrow gauge or Light Railway, just a pipe dream of mine...Of course it would work as a branch of Light Rail or Commuter Rail, but why? I find myself wishing for all the world that we would do something BOLD, and NEW, in this old CITY OF THE SOUTH. Gee there could be a slogan in there don't you think?

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah, I have Stephendare, I realize it's 90% "as if"...
But since we got a direct question out of it I gave an honest straight answer.
I didn't mean to burst the bubble... So here, take a look at our own MINI-MIGHTY RAILWAY!


Wow, do you remember how the City laughed when we first advanced this idea? Oh and that FIRST full train!


Sticking to tried and true scale railroads of yesterday was a master stroke thanks to a friend who consults for
both mass transit AND theme parks. 


The Ortega Wetlands NEVER looked so romantic! Wow and those "Riverkeepers" and "Conservation Types" love the nature specials.



...and since it opened international tourism is up 45% in the county, they are thinking about a Normandy Extension, and traffic on the new Collins Road and I-295 to US-17 freeway is WAY DOWN between Western Orange Park/Blanding/Argyle and NAS. A Navy circulator bus meets every train, even the tourist schedules!

And JAXTRAX COMMUTER RAIL is a perfect scheduled mate.

Ocklawaha

[Ocklawaha]

It was in those old magazines I showed you guys when we first talked over the idea.

http://www.grandscales.com/

and

discoverlivesteam.com

Ocklawaha

[Coolyfett]

Jacksonville's Mayor decided today to take serious moves to tackle the problem of homelessness as national economists warn of a long term worsening economy.

In a press conference arranged today outside of the Wanda Lanier Day Center and Jobline, Mayor Carlucci announced a massive new works project to provide shelter clothing, food and pay to Jacksonville's homeless in return for environmental cleanup work to be conducted along Talleyrand Avenue.

Thats interesting Stephen....After that can they clean the north river banks from the Fuller Warren to the Acosta?? Will that garbage ever be cleaned up?? Yuck!!!

[Ocklawaha]

With Baymeadows going down, I wonder how much positive effect this will have on the continued green industry growth along the co-op new railroad built by the JaxTrax and the FEC to Mayport. I laughed back in the day when JTA claimed there was no route to the beaches. They knew those power lines were just south of JTB all along, then that new track swings north to between Beach and Atlantic and turns back east over the river to the Beaches. It was a master stroke to continue to use the high power line right of way North along the west edge of the Eastern San Pablo shore line, all the way to Mayport. I understand the FEC is laying out some 75 acres at the mouth of the San Pablo to serve as the new Panama Class basin and to extend the port without damage to the beautiful fishing village theme of Mayports cruise terminals. God I love this place. Once those electric trains start rolling from downtown to the beaches, we can look forward to many new livable and dense developments.

Ocklawaha