JTA "Route Optimization"

[johnny_simpatico]

JTA has now loaded PDFs of their proposed new route structure on their website.  I've glanced at some of the routes I would be taking and I'm a bit puzzled.  Their new 6A/6B would apparently replace the WS12, which operates north on Park Street, then doglegs onto King Street before continuing down Riverside Ave. toward downtown. The new alignment, with the 6A/6B would have the bus cut over to Park Street from Edison Ave., and end at the Convention Center. 

This would require downtown-bound riders to transfer at the Convention Center. It also means there would be no direct service to the new supermarket in Brooklyn.  http://www.jtafla.com/Blueprint2020/ROI-maps/RegionalMap_West_03132014-ver2.pdf

Another curiosity is with their Northside service.  The plan shows continued operation of a an airport service that first stops at the River City Marketplace.  This bus is evidently more geared to airport workers than travelers.  The proposed BRT #2 would head up Lem Turner Rd. nearly to I-295.  Wouldn't it make sense extend this line a wee bit so it can provide high-quality, frequent service to the airport? http://www.jtafla.com/Blueprint2020/ROI-maps/RegionalMap_North_03132014-ver2.pdf

Their beach service is downright weird.  The BRT out Beach Blvd. to the Beach actually starts by heading over the Mathews Bridge to (dying) Regency Mall, then heads south on Southside Boulevard, before heading east on Beach Boulevard.  How are they going to lure people out of cars with this crazy and indirect route? 

But wait; it gets goofier.  The present Atlantic Blvd. service that zooms over the Mathews Bridge and heads directly out the Arlington Expressway, will now originate near Beach Blvd. and Atlantic Blvd. in St. Nicholas -- not exactly a hotbed of anything.  The plan for this bus is to have it head out Atlantic, with a detour to the Kona Skate Park.  There is no BRT connection at its St. Nicholas origin. 

http://www.jtafla.com/Blueprint2020/ROI-maps/RegionalMap_East_03132014-ver2.pdf

The JTA website has no real detail about the proposal other than the maps on PDF.  There is a presentation from March, which provides some interesting statistics, but does not state clearly when JTA will implement BRT and the new route structure.

http://www.jtafla.com/Blueprint2020/RouteOptimization.pdf

I would assume that if they were going to build a REAL BRT with dedicated rights of way, dedicated lanes, elevated platforms, first-class bus shelters, payment boxes, etc., that there would already be signs of activity.  I see nothing.

Meanwhile, no rider apps are available to help riders manipulate the present JTA system.  Would it be that difficult to provide a schedule upload to Next Bus, Transit Times+. or other tools.  I've used these with fabulous success in other cities. Here there remains only the pilot program with Next Bus and the AR6.  Try using Next Bus anywhere in Jacksonville and it will tell you the status of the AR6.  This has been going on for months.

It's an outrage that JTA management is paid so lucratively and is so unresponsive to the city's critical transit neeeds.

[IrvAdams]

^ Thanks for the update. I can only get the last link to work, but it's just boilerplate. Just descriptions of more study and more feedback. I am extremely interested in this; we must get definitive and encompassing bus service throughout this area soon, and I thought we would be underway with several major projects. It's time to break some ground.

[tufsu1]

Here's the big picture...

Today there are 3 buses that operate on 30 minute or better frequency....under the proposed plan, there would be 22 routes....that enhancement is accomplished without any extra staffing or buses.

From what I understand, JTA staff is out all week at the major transit centers telling riders about the plan.

[tufsu1]

Houston is planning to do something similar

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2014/05/houstons-plan-get-amazing-new-bus-system-no-new-money/9078/

[johnny_simpatico]

The big picture seems quite reasonable, but what about the final product?  a. Do the details make sense?  b. When will it be implemented? c. Can't JTA take steps right now to improve their product by giving riders the same tools available to riders in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, etc., etc?

[tufsu1]

I think they have done quite a bit of analysis and have employed a very competent team to put it all together.  Now begins the public outreach phase, followed by implementation. 

Tallahassee's bus system went through a similar process a few years ago and it took quite some time to get the necessary buy-in to implement the changes.  Its difficult to imagine how hard it is to get people who now have a bus stop next to their house to buy-in to walking a few blocks...even if they get to their destination faster and the buses run more often. 

And JTA has made quite a few improvements recently and others will be coming online in the coming months.

[IrvAdams]

^Thanks for the info,sounds like you have inside knowledge. It's good to know there is a dialogue and things are moving in the right direction.

[Flash60]

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=542925

'Almost everything' changing as JTA plans complete overhaul in bus routes

Tuesday, May 13, 11:03 AM EDT

By Max Marbut, Staff Writer

Beginning this morning, customers who use Jacksonville Transportation Authority mass transit services are getting a look at proposed bus routes scheduled to begin Nov. 24.

The "Route Optimization Initiative" is the first redesign of Jacksonville's public transportation in more than 30 years.

"Almost everything will experience some type of change," said Carl Weckenmann, senior manager of system planning.

JTA representatives will make information about the changes available to the public through Thursday at Rosa Parks, Gateway Town Center and Regency Square Mall transit hubs, he said.

The changes are based on customer feedback and an analysis of the system as it compares to other public transportation operations, said Brad Thoburn, JTA's vice president of long-range planning and system development.

With more than 800 square miles of territory to cover in Duval County and no symmetrical grid outside Downtown, most of the 34 fixed routes that travel a total of 1,105 miles in the system are "circuitous." that can make it difficult to plan routes that can maintain a dependable schedule, he said.

Redesigning the system should make it easier for more people to choose to use mass transit.

"We think a lot of folks would ride if it were more convenient," Thoburn said.

One of the most sweeping changes is making more buses arrive at stops more often. Thoburn said there are just three routes in the system that arrive at a given stop every 30 minutes. The new plan would allow 30-minute frequency at 22 routes.

Weckenmann said subtle changes made over the past 30 years have led to adding stops to routes.

He said the main reason stops were added was to reduce the distance customers had to walk to a bus stop.

But more stops means a route takes longer to complete, which increases the time between buses and makes arrival times less accurate.

According to a survey of 1,609 riders conducted in 2013, only 54.8 percent of customers were satisfied or very satisfied with JTA's on-time performance.

"Many of our routes meander through neighborhoods. Some buses stop every block or two blocks," said Thoburn. "Riders are deterred if their trip takes too long or it isn't reliable."

Another change slated to take effect in November is system-wide implementation of a real-time information service that can provide the time of arrival of the next bus to passengers at any stop on the route.

The system has been in a trial on two routes in Arlington and may be accessed on the Internet, via a smartphone app or by calling (904) 242-6490.

Thoburn said the up-to-the-minute schedule information service will be expanded in November and bus stop signage will be improved to make the service more widely known.

The "On Time Transit Operations" system has been tested for six months on six routes that represent 35 percent of JTA's weekday ridership.

The route schedules were modified to make the buses more reliable in terms of arrival times and additional buses were added to certain routes during peak ridership periods.

Thoburn said the system will be expanded in November when the new routes take effect.

JTA has already posted the new routes on its website, jtafla.com. Weckenmann said a series of public meetings and public hearings will be scheduled.

Changes could be made to the route plan based on customer reaction and input.

Public meetings are scheduled at 6 p.m.:

• Thursday at City Hall in Jacksonville Beach

•?May 29 at 2054 Plainfield Ave. in Orange Park

• June 5 at 5130 Soutel Drive

•?June 19 at 3939 Roosevelt Blvd.

"We are still in the planning stages. The public will have an opportunity to have their voice heard," Weckenmann said.

Nathaniel Ford, the authority's CEO, also said customer feedback about the proposed route changes will be considered before the routes and schedules are finalized and go into effect.

"We don't want to do this in a vacuum," said Ford. "We need customer feedback."

mmarbut@baileypub.com

(904) 356-2466