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

[thelakelander]

Finally. For the sake of the Jax's credibility and taxpayers....kill it.

[Charles Hunter]

From Jax Today (today)

DEFENDING THE DRIVERLESS: Although not many people are using JTA's autonomous shuttles in Downtown Jax, Mayor Donna Deegan has high hopes for the service. "I love to be a leader in a space, and I think this is what we're going to see around the country," she said yesterday on First Coast Connect. She points out Bay Street, where the vans drive on a 3.5-mile loop, is still developing, with a Four Seasons hotel under construction and the Museum of Science and History reopening on the Northbank in a few years. On the other hand, Downtown City Council member Jimmy Peluso argues the service today is too limited because it doesn't run nights, weekends or during football games. (Jacksonville Today)

With SuperDoge Diamond opposing U2C, and CrazyLeftyWoke Mayor Deegan defending it - looks good for the State Doge to have some nasty things t say about it. Sadly, as I recall, unless JTA goes for federal funds, there isn't a whole lot of state (FDOT) money in future U2C phases.

[thelakelander]

Doge it. Do whatever it takes. Jax should definitely be a leader....of things that are logical and make sense. From a huge transportation and public transit supporter, this one isn't it.

[jcjohnpaint]

I just can't understand why this couldn't have been turned into an elevated streetcar. Part of the reason was the center rail, but that will be removed to fit these cars.

[thelakelander]

It still can. The leaders of JTA just made a decision to go down the road of being the first to employ an unproven technology.

[jaxlongtimer]

If only Elon would call JTA... all his problems would be solved...NOT!  JTA can look forward to these types of headlines and worse in the months and years to come if they don't give up on their insane mission for U2C.

Tesla under investigation after cars with the self-driving feature ran red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road

New York
AP
—
US federal regulators have opened yet another investigation into Tesla's self-driving feature after dozens of incidents in which the cars ran red lights or drove on the wrong side of the road, sometimes crashing into other vehicles and causing injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is looking into 58 incidents in which Teslas reportedly violated traffic safety laws while using the company's so-called Full Self-Driving mode, leading to more than a dozen crashes and fires and nearly two dozen injuries.

The new probe adds to several other open investigations into Tesla technology that could upend Elon Musk's plans to turn millions of his cars already on the road into completely driverless vehicles with an over-the-air update to their software.

"The ultimate question is, 'Does the software work?'" asked Seth Goldstein, a Morningstar analyst with a "sell" rating on the stock. Added money manager Ross Gerber, "The world has become a giant testing ground for Elon's concept of full self-driving, and it's not working,"

The probe comes as Musk, whose fortune as the world's richest man derives partly from Tesla's levitating stock, has promised to roll out hundreds of thousands of driverless taxis in cities around the United States by the end of next year.

The new investigation covers 2.9 million vehicles, essentially all Teslas equipped with full self-driving technology, or FSD, a misnomer criticized for lulling drivers into handing full control over to their cars. Tesla has argued to regulators and in court cases that it has repeatedly told drivers the system cannot drive the cars by itself and whoever is behind the wheel must be ready to intervene at all times.

In the new probe, regulators reported that many of the Tesla drivers involved in accidents said the cars gave them no warning about the unexpected behavior....

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/business/tesla-investigation-self-driving-intl

[Todd_Parker]

If the effort to end the U2C boondoggle is successful, what happens next? Focus on the skyway extension to Brooklyn? Redirect the funds to improve other city services? What becomes the preferred, realistic option to connect the sports complex, shipyards, riverfront parks, Pearl District developments, etc.?

[jcjohnpaint]

I think Ford has to go to have any other conversation

[Charles Hunter]

If the effort to end the U2C boondoggle is successful, what happens next? Focus on the skyway extension to Brooklyn? Redirect the funds to improve other city services? What becomes the preferred, realistic option to connect the sports complex, shipyards, riverfront parks, Pearl District developments, etc.?

Fill the gap in Emerald Trail funding caused by the loss of federal funds.
Study a modern streetcar system.
Pay Ford's moving expenses to ... anywhere.

[thelakelander]

I think Ford has to go to have any other conversation

This is likely the case before anything else can be explored. This is a generational setback.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

I'm a strong supporter of downtown development, but right now, I don't believe any form of downtown-only transit is feasible. There simply isn't enough activity to justify it. Even if the Skyway were extended to the sports and entertainment district, ridership would likely remain low because there just isn't enough foot traffic downtown.

Instead, JTA's studies on commuter rail present a more practical next step—especially once the U2C project is inevitably axed. Downtown should become the central hub or main station, connecting lines that run from the airport to downtown, with stops along the way. Another line could connect Downtown St. Augustine to Downtown Jacksonville. From there, expansion toward the Westside and Beaches—possibly via the area north of Nocatee—would help drive more people downtown. As downtown becomes a true transit hub, foot traffic will naturally increase, creating demand for projects like streetcars and other localized systems.

There's also huge potential to expand commuter rail, similar to systems in Japan or China. Unfortunately, because we've been so car-centric for so long, some rail lines might need to be elevated—built above existing roads. Meanwhile, our highways are becoming increasingly congested as more people move here and rely on driving. Expanding roads only worsens the problem by encroaching on nearby properties. Reducing car dependency through better transit would help avoid that cycle.

Beyond transit, downtown Jacksonville also needs new attractions—an aquarium, a Ferris wheel, or other destination features that bring consistent visitors. Development downtown has been painfully slow compared to other Florida cities. While plenty of projects are approved, there's still very little visible progress. The downtown population is also too spread out, with no true concentration of activity. Finally, the Cathedral District's 60-foot height restriction should be reconsidered. Preservation is important, but we're not London—and even London is building towers now.

They can look at Miami and Orlando for rail studies too.

Already shared but here's their study. Who wants to sit in traffic if you could get on a train and get there faster (traffic) and safer(generally less likely to get in collision) - cheaper(wear and tear on vehicle + gas). Walking downtown St. Aug has way higher foot traffic than Jax and we could use some as a complimentary though it should be the other way around.
https://jtamobilityworks2.com/jrtc-rail-terminal/

[jaxlongtimer]

^ Well put.  All common sense which JTA and other City leaders over the decades are seriously lacking.  Any warm-bodied person has more transit sensibility than the so called traffic engineers at JTA.  JTA consultants doing traffic studies for JTA are just as bad, prostituting themselves for fees, nothing more.

Going back to the original Better Jacksonville bond issue decades ago, some $100 million was supposed to buy right-of-way for rail transit.  Not one penny ever got spent on that.  I think most of it went to the stadium or other "priorities" then.  That's how Jax does.  Bet that right-of-way today could cost 10X or more.

[thelakelander]

JTA screwed the pooch on that BJP ROW money. That round of leadership predates the current group. Back then, they wanted to buy expensive land for BRT (First Coast Flyer) bus stops. Anyway, when it comes to anything rail related, we don't have to wait for them to lead. They don't own the tracks and don't have that type of transit experience.

[Jax_Developer]

I also am not so certain there will be leadership change like we expect. I think a lot of people would agree when I say that Diamond doesn't have the political sway we would hope for in this particular situation.

Just saying, CEO of JTA (right now) might be the most 'cush' transit job in the entire world... yes the world. Ford earns a ~$450k salary - while the heads of both the MTA & CTA make well below that. Imagine the stress of the MTA or the CTA... versus JTA. LOL. We don't even have regularly scheduled buses on time.

So yeah, I think he's gonna fight it. He's gonna get Donna & his good friends at JaxUSA on his side (bc of Diamonds public comments) & this will be another few years easily... even though Peluso has made the exact same comments previously. It's really quite sad and, in my opinion, this will make Donna's term. She really doesn't have a backbone & this program pretty much proves that. She's been taking flak for Ford since her first week in office yet supports it. She's just as complicit in this as Nat Ford IMO.

Forget all else, does anyone really think this program would still be alive without Donna's support? Just not the case. Sure she has done some good things - hard not to in a position of power & influence. I think most agree about Curry's legacy, what about Donna's?

[jaxlongtimer]

^ I have talked with some elected officials and even some past JTA board members, over time.  I am shocked how little they really know about JTA's agenda and performance, including the shortcomings of the Skyway and U2C.  So many "trust" the JTA CEO of the day and their staff, as "transportation professionals," and lack the time, curiosity, backbone, knowledge, etc. to challenge them and their presentations.  As such, the JTA team (and the other City authority staffs, for the most part, witness the JEA scandal) get free passes.

Jaxson posters would likely need to organize a full fledged lobbying and publicity machine to have a chance of changing the dialogue.  Unfortunately, while inspiring, posting on the Jaxson alone isn't enough.