Is U2C serious? Help me make it make sense....

[jaxlongtimer]

JTA said an onboard JTA attendant will be on the shuttle.

That doesn't fit my definition of "autonomous."  This is exactly what JTA will fail at so what is the point of U2C?  Let's just call the attendant a driver and admit defeat and wasted dollars on this project.  JTA isn't going to create true open streets "autonomy" for mass transit vehicles if others don't do it for them and no one is close to doing so.  Pure insanity to keep funding this project.

[fsu813]

Not only in the vehicle, but in the driver's seat.

[Ken_FSU]

Not only in the vehicle, but in the driver's seat.

[CityLife]

Will anyone trust the results from a pilot program where the "autonomous vehicle" has a driver? Is the driver just going to sit there and see how long the vehicle will drive correctly with no hands and then correct mistakes?

Does anyone know how the FSCJ shuttles are doing?

[Ken_FSU]

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2024/09/03/jacksonville-will-be-home-to-autonomous-vehicle-plant/75054025007/

The development of the plant is geared toward producing shuttles that meet "Buy America" and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Achieving those thresholds would make the distinctive-looking shuttles eligible for use in the Ultimate Urban Circulator network of self-driving passenger shuttles being built by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.


As an interim step, JTA has said it will use retrofitted Ford E-Transit cargo vans equipped with automated vehicle technology when the first leg of the U2C system opens in 2025 along Bay Street from the office tower part of the Northbank out to the sports complex.

Just quickly appreciating the first official confirmation that the "Bay Street Innovation Corridor" that is going to make Jacksonville the AV capital of the world is launching with off-the-shelf predator vans (likely "supervised" by a driver) instead of the promised driverless clown cars. And the actual AVs sound like they are contingent on a speculative $100 million plant coming online in Jacksonville and eventually producing vehicles up to standard.

Better not book any circuses before 2034.

[Ken_FSU]

Jokes aside, I sincerely hope our airport and hotel infrastructure can support to crush of traveling transportation planners flooding Bay Street to see the clown cars loop in mixed traffic.

[Jax_Developer]

They are only 10-15 years behind on the technology. Nothing groundbreaking with AV's going less than 30 mph on semi-closed circuits.

[Todd_Parker]

Jokes aside, I sincerely hope our airport and hotel infrastructure can support to crush of traveling transportation planners flooding Bay Street to see the clown cars loop in mixed traffic.

Just need to dust off that plan to park 5 cruise ships downtown. It worked in 2005!

[marcuscnelson]

A new set of claims by Ford in the Times-Union this week.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/09/11/autonomous-vehicles-make-jacksonville-a-future-transportation-leader/75148589007/

[jaxlongtimer]

A new set of claims by Ford in the Times-Union this week.

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/09/11/autonomous-vehicles-make-jacksonville-a-future-transportation-leader/75148589007/

Will be interesting to see how this quote stands the test of time  :

When future generations look back, they'll see that we made decisions with vision, care and courage.

[Ken_FSU]

Today I learned that every other peer city is doing it wrong, focusing on things like fixed transportation, dedicated right-of-way, and transit-oriented development.

What those backwards idiots across the country fail to understand is that a stronger, better connected, 875-square mile city starts with a 3-mile clown car loop supplemented by an electric van, driven by a human, circling a strip mall in Brooklyn.

When all is said and done, this might go down as the biggest boondoggle in city history.

Absolute best case scenario, it's a more complicated, more expensive, less efficient, smaller-range version of what the private market will eventually offer in every major city in America, draining our transit budget for years to come while offering a duplicative service to residents that they could easily get from Uber, Lyft, or any host of AV rideshare companies.

That's not how you build a better-connected city. That's how you build an albatross. For DECADES. With nothing to show for it but a line-item on someone's resume.

[jaxlongtimer]

^ LOL. Very clever.  You should submit it to the T-U as an Op-Ed to see if they would publish it as a counterpoint.

[thelakelander]

I agree. This would be an excellent counterpoint editorial for the Op-Ed section.

[urban_]

That's not how you build a better-connected city. That's how you build an albatross. For DECADES. With nothing to show for it but a line-item on someone's resume.

Completely agree, and also agree on the Op-Ed. Praying someone investigates this horror show. Maybe UNF or JU could conduct a poll which would almost definitely show the public would prefer a light rail, streetcar, commuter rail, even extending the monorail to the stadium, compared to this joke.

[marcuscnelson]

Welcome, urban_!

Another interesting model is what Miami-Dade just did last month: a non-binding referendum on interest in expanding rail transit. Not necessarily voting on funding yet, but giving officials clear(ish) direction on whether it'd be worth putting the effort into planning out these kinds of systems to seek funding for. 80% of voters in Miami-Dade voted yes on that. I would not be surprised if such a vote in Jacksonville reached similar margins.