New JTA Beaches Trolley

[Lunican]

New JTA Beaches Trolley Rolling All Summer

Getting around at the beach will never be easier than it will be starting June 27 when the JTA launches its brand new Beaches Trolley service. A special launch ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. this Friday (June 27) in the park behind Jacksonville Beach City Hall (at 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue). The first Beaches Trolley ride will leave at 6 p.m.

“The Beaches Trolley is a weekend service,” said Michael J. Blaylock, JTA Executive Director/CEO. “We’re expecting the Beaches Trolley to gets lots of interest from visitors staying at the beach; along with locals looking for a convenient way hit the many shops, businesses, restaurants and night clubs along A1A.”

The new service will offer free rides each weekend through Labor Day. The Beaches Trolley will start at 6 p.m. Friday night and will run until 2 a.m. The trolleys start running again Saturday morning at 10 and run until 2 a.m. the following morning. Sunday service will start at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. Special expanded
Fourth of July (10 a.m. â€" 2 a.m.) and Labor Day (11 a.m. â€" 7 p.m.) holiday hours will also be observed.

“This will help ease the parking issues that the Beaches faces every weekend, especially during the summer months,” said Jacksonville councilman Art Graham, who represents the Beaches district. “The Beaches are a major destination point for people from all over this region, not just Duval County. With the trolleys, both locals
and visitors can easily and safely travel from one area of the Beaches to the next without the worry or hassle of taking their vehicle.”

It will run between the South Beach Regional Shopping Center at A1A and JTB all the way to the Town Center on Atlantic Boulevard. The service will be free during this pilot period (through the Labor Day weekend). Both Graham and JTA are hopeful of finding sponsors to help fund the Beaches Trolley next summer and
beyond.

CONTACT:
Mike Miller
Director of External Affairs
(904) 630-3109

[JeffreyS]

It is a good plan. The success of the riverside trolley may only be a precursor of the things to come.

[Eazy E]

GREAT idea, and JTA should be applauded.  Now, if we can just get them running one from town to the beaches, that would be awesome. That way, a round trip beach drive wouldn't cost $10.

[Jason]

Wow, I am really impressed JTA.  Great route and great hours.  I really hope this line proves successful.

[Lunican]

[copperfiend]

I'll be catching it from 16th and 3rd to the Town Center. This is great. Unfortunately, no surfboards.

[blizz01]

Cool.  OK, what's next?  Southside/SJ Town Center?  What I'd like to see is boat/river service from Fleming Island/Orange Park to Mandarin to Riverside/San Marco to Downtown to the Zoo to ......................

[Ocklawaha]

JTA's senior planner at work?

Will we EVER grow up? These stupid potato-chip-truck-thinks-its-a-trolley or PCT-Trolleys are 100%, genuine, grade A, Choice, FAKES. They are not real transit buses as they are not built on regular transit bus frames. They are not shuttles as the last time I enlisted the help of a hotel or rent-a-car agency, their shuttle buses were comfortable, had cushioned seats and room for baggage or surf boards. These "things" are not "Trolleys" either, neither trolley-buses or trolley cars AKA: STREETCARS. They have some relation to trolley buses, in that they both roll on rubber tires, but trolley buses are silent, clean and electric, they are found in big cities that either kept their old systems or have gone GREEN with new ones. An excellent example of a REAL trolley-bus is JTA's much talked about SILVER LINE in Boston. Bus Rapid Transit designed by "god" to hear JTA's rave reviews. They are quick to tell the public all about the Silver Lines huge successes, the building boom around the Silver Line, and the FACT that it is all because it is BUS RAPID TRANSIT... So Far...So GOOD. Now for what they didn't tell you. The SILVER LINE is part of the infamous "Big Dig" project in Boston. Certainly the most expensive highway in a tunnel-bridge system ever built. But even if that new super-road accounted for none of the building boom, there is one more little fact JTA always leaves out.... READY?.... The Silver Line is electric! This is a fixed route trolley bus system and looks NOTHING like ANYTHING Jacksonville Transportation Authority has ever proposed. Corporations build along fixed route transit that goes from point "A" to point "B", because once the $$ is spent to build a trolley bus or streetcar line, it is a pretty sure bet that it will be there 10-20-30 years from now. Something else that WON'T happen with these cutsie little "Hello Kitty Trolleys" that JTA is selling by fooling a largely transit-innocent population into believing Jacksonville has Trolleys...and now the beaches do too... Just like San Francisco.

Funds for Beaches trolley are a hard sell for Graham

By CAREN BURMEISTER, Shorelines

Four years ago, Art Graham persuaded thousands of Beaches-area voters to choose him as their representative on the Jacksonville City Council. But when it comes to finding a title business sponsor for a Beaches trolley, he admits he's no salesman.

When asked Friday how his search was going, he was blunt.

"Not good at all," Graham said.

A national discount store tcoming to Neptune Beach has turned him down, as has the region's most recognizable law firm, which advertises heavily on TV and taxicabs.

Graham is looking for a business that's willing to pay $240,000 to have its name and business logo prominently displayed on the trolley.

That's half what the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is seeking to provide four trolleys, like those in downtown Jacksonville, to take diners, shoppers and nightclub patrons from Beaches Town Center at the foot of Atlantic Boulevard to a hub in South Jacksonville Beach.

Under the proposal, the trolley would stop at points along Florida A1A every 15 minutes from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The service would run 20 weeks of the year, from about April 1 through Labor Day.

The idea has been around at least since 1999, when Beaches officials approached the JTA about the trolley to alleviate parking concerns. Graham took up the charge a few years ago.

The concept has a lot of merit, said JTA spokesman Mike Miller.

"It's pretty apparent to anyone who travels the Beaches on the weekend that it would relieve a lot of congestion," Miller said.

A transportation update that Jacksonville Beach may add to its comprehensive plan identifies the trolley as one of several recommended transit projects.

The JTA has agreed to provide the vehicles for the two-year pilot project, but is leaving the funding up to Graham.

"The key to me is to get a large title sponsor," Graham said.

He plans to blend those dollars with sponsorships from Beaches restaurants, shops and nightclubs.

It's a tough sell, but Graham said he's not inclined to give it up.

"I will continue to try to bring on the trolley in my next 3? years in office," he said.

Imagine now that Graham is convinced, JTA could pull this off. We'll tell the world that we have trolleys and that Jacksonville is just as COOL as San Francisco. When the NFL announcers get here for the big games they'll be looking for those "trolleys" and believe me when I say they'll find them. The entire United States and every football and PGA fan in the world will soon know that those, "air-heads in Jacksonville "REALLY" believe they have trolleys!" The din of laughter will first rise from Tampa, then Charlotte, next from New Orleans, and Dallas, Then Baltimore, San Diego, Seattle, until the roar is deafning. Forever labeled as that stupid hick town that thought they could talk a big blue chip company into hanging their logo on a sorry imitation of a machine.

If we continue down this path, we are taking vital needed funding away from real transit buses. Money for express services, BRT in HOV lanes, better equipment and more, and RESTED drivers. The City is broke and we are buying toy trolleys at a time when we need the investment from REAL ONES. Some iqnorant company might even buy into Grahams sponsorhip program, but hey this is Jacksonville. These vehicles are cheap and have a very short shelf life. In another 4 years or so, no one will remember who sold that sign on the side of the battered up vehicle, Graham and Peyton will probably be long gone and JTA will be off on their next mindless misadventure.

Ocklawaha
Roger and Ocklawaha

[cline]

I really don't think the average beach-goer cares what they call these things.  I think its a great idea and will be a benefit to the beaches area.

[DetroitInJAX]

Yeah, who cares what it is.. It may not be a real trolley but its better than nothing, and nothing is what Jacksonville's usual mode of operation is on projects like this.

Id rather have some gussied up buses traveling up and down 3rd street than nothing at all.

[Ocklawaha]

If the average beach goer paid for these things, then they ought to care. Nothing like riding an expensive "Dolly Trolley" 3 days a week for the same price that a real shuttle bus could have ran 7 days a week. Amazing that we are willing to pay so much for so little. The point being IF the beaches formed their own TRANSIT AGENCY, then contracted with JTA or any other operator they would get so much more bang for their bucks. If they wanted booming development then go with real streetcars. Frankly the long straight route makes it a no-brainer for modern streetcar. The returns on investment are about 3 to 1. Imagine the Jacksonville Beaches with RonJon, or South Beach style? Sorry, I forget, this is Jacksonville and "Who cares"?

Ocklawaha

[cline]

The Beaches has experienced quite a bit of development already, especially over the past few years.  Some might even call this "booming" development and it occurred without a "PCT" or trolley in place.  All I am saying is that this will be good for the beaches area.  The people I talk to seem to be excited about it.   

[writer5points]

Despite what Ock says about the Beaches Trolley = everyone I talked to about it last weekend loved it. Interestingly enough, there was construction on First Street that forced the trolleys to detour for a block or two to Second street and then back to First.  Couldn't do that with a "real" trolley.

Sure its still a bus, made to look like a replica trolley - but it works for what it is and the riders are loving it. It serves a real purpose - as Art Graham said - easing some of the major weekend parking issues at the Beaches during the weekend. Plus it allows people to move up/down the beach at will (for free) all summer long.

JTA got it right. Art Graham got it right. The Beaches Trolley is a good thing. Sorry Ock - but you need to take off those "but it's not a real trolley" glasses and see that it doesn't have to be the 1920s era to actually work. Just ask any of the people that are actually riding it.

[Trilby]

Sorry guys but you don't gety the point of my argument here. Certainly there is a place deep in my soul that wants to see the original Streetcars return to Jacksonville (the beaches never had them...but came close in the late 1920's). That's not the point at all about these cheap vehicles.

I'll try again. There are bus builders and there are coach builders, both do a fantastic job. Bluebird, New Flyer, Silver Eagle, Orion, MCI, Gillig... the list is long. Everything they build is up to very tight over-the-road FTA standards. 500,000 miles and 12 years life span. Air suspensions, even Eagle even has a European Sports car suspension system. All of these companies offer just about every imaginable accessory. Electric bus, Hybrids, Diesel, Bio-Fuel, Flex Fuel, Hydrogen Cell. They all offer shorty commuter versions, shuttle versions, even restroom equiped, reclining seat, snack bar dellux coaches. These are these are the buses and coaches that you see all over America. Solid, long life, transit vehicles.

For the record, Streetcars have a life of 35 years to 100 years, with unlimited miles. (again NOT MY "main" Point)

So JTA goes out and buys imitation so called "Trolleys" from the carnival market. THAT is the rub with me. Sure I hate their looks, but worse, we are all going to hate their cost-to-service numbers. My argument is why should our beach goers be subjected to ANYTHING but the best in the transit world. Why not shorty Electrics, or Fuel Cells? Why not nice soft seating? Why not silent running? Air Suspension? LONG LIFE? In other words for glitz and glitter, we've been sold a bill of goods. Fake, flimsey, and poorly built or designed.
Bottom line, some of those same frame sets went to become Potato Chip Trucks, some to School Bus Makers, and others to Fed Ex or UPS... Why should a Jacksonville citizen be treated like a shipment of Lab grade Monkey shit?

Get some real vehicles, something that will last, give them some delux beach touches... Restroom? Coffee Bar? Changing room? and make history!

Hope this clears the air on the PCT TROLLEYS

Ocklawaha  

[Ocklawaha]

Didn't realize my daughters name was still logged in... she stole my new computer for the afternoon!

Boooo

Ocklawaha