Jacksonville Should Love A Streetcar: Ten Reasons

[Metro Jacksonville]

Jacksonville Should Love A Streetcar: Ten Reasons



Ten reasons why Jacksonville's peer cities are pursuing, building, or already operating streetcar systems. From Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-may-jacksonville-should-love-a-streetcar-ten-reasons

[Keith-N-Jax]

Send this thread over to city hall. Some will say its the build it and they will come idea. Jacksonville is waiting for a swift kick in the a$$.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Ok lets say we some forget that this is Jacksonville, where do we start and end this. Are we also hoping that this will spur other developments like Channelside in Tampa. I hope so. I was just in Tampa last weekend, the Aquarium, Channelside, Ybor city all packed with people. Even the Casino there was packed so before anyone says anything about the economy, not everybody is hurting.  We(the city) needs to really get it together.

[thelakelander]

Ok lets say we some forget that this is Jacksonville, where do we start and end this.

Simple.  Something that links Riverside to Downtown and Springfield.  You can virtually guarantee that you'll have decent ridership by linking dense neighborhoods with major employment centers, downtown, parks and cultural establishments in the core.  You'll also pentrate neighborhoods in need of economic stimulating, like LaVilla, Brooklyn and the Cathedral District.  A starter four or five mile line also would not break the bank (could be done for $50 million or less) and could be used as a pilot project to demonstrate the power of rail in a community like Jacksonville.  Rome was not built in a day.  Follow Houston (7.5 miles) and Charlotte's (9 miles) lead.  Start small, logical, efficient and work your way up. 

[urbanjacksonville]

What great timing on this post! Today I posted Public Space is Good, But We Need To Talk Transportation Too on Urban Jacksonville: http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/2009/05/29/public-space-is-good-but-we-need-to-talk-transportation-too

I too point to the value of streetcars in reviving our urban core. I'd like to host a live chat next week to discuss some of these issues. What representatives from the city and JTA should I try to invite to the chat?

[BridgeTroll]

Lets put that 100 mil to work now!

[thelakelander]

What great timing on this post! Today I posted Public Space is Good, But We Need To Talk Transportation Too on Urban Jacksonville: http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/2009/05/29/public-space-is-good-but-we-need-to-talk-transportation-too

I too point to the value of streetcars in reviving our urban core. I'd like to host a live chat next week to discuss some of these issues. What representatives from the city and JTA should I try to invite to the chat?

Bill Bishop, Glorious Johnson, Mike Miller and perhaps Adam Hollingsworth would all be good public candidates to bring on the show to discuss mass transit.  However, if you're going to have a city or JTA representative on the show, I'd recommend having Bob Mann as a guest on the same show.  This way you'll have a discussion that can include someone with actual background knowledge on these types of systems and what it takes to pull them off.

[fsujax]

Great article. Now march it over to City Hall and tell them to tell JTA to get it done, with the $100 million that was set aside in the BJP. JTA gets it, wants to do it, but with no direction or clarification on the $100 million from City Hall or City Council it isn't going to happen.

[thelakelander]

I wonder if JTA needs help in putting together an actual compelling argument to council?  Its going to take an all around effort and the transit authority is going to have to get vocal, like they are for advertising on bus shelters and BRT.  As long as JTA remains mum on these issues, the fight for them will take longer.

[zoo]

Now march it over to City Hall and tell them to tell JTA to get it done, with the $100 million that was set aside in the BJP. JTA gets it, wants to do it, but with no direction or clarification on the $100 million from City Hall or City Council it isn't going to happen.

So I'll copy the same post from the Main Street Pocket Park thread, and let you readers replace "revitalized Downtown" with "smart, integrated urban transit options."

This is what the citizens of Jacksonville want -- a revitalized Downtown area. Our city can't get it right b/c politics gets in the way of leadership. This Mayor and this Council just aren't cut out for making smart decisions about it. They are penny-wise and pound foolish, and don't realize that a revitalized Downtown would be a boon for the entire region, including their own districts...

[Deuce]

Ditto to all above.

[zoo]

Btw, here are "Guiding Principals" # 1 & 2 from the Reality Check First Coast exercise that was conducted last week down at WGV:

1. Alternate transportation modes.
2. Redevelopment and urbanization.

And here's a info on what the purpose of the exercise was:

"A visioning exercise designed to discuss, analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios for our region through the year 2060.

On May 21, 2009, Reality Check First Coast brought nearly 300 leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors together in groups of eight to 10 to discuss, analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios for our region.

The exercise is designed to raise awareness of projected levels of region-wide growth and to lay the foundation for the development of a concrete list of next steps to meet the region’s future job, housing, transportation, infrastructure and recreation needs.

How should we grow? Where will grow?

By the year 2060, 1.6 million* additional people will be living in our Region, requiring the addition of new jobs and housing to accommodate this growth. As a region, we have choices to make. Where will development occur? How will we maintain open spaces and our natural resources? What will our transportation and infrastructure needs be? Those questions will be considered at Reality Check First Coast.

At the Reality Check event, regional leaders were challenged to rethink where and how to grow the First Coast in a way that adds value to the local economy, while preserving our environment and quality of life. Participants divided into groups of eight to 10 will discuss and allocate housing and job growth throughout the First Coast. The First Coast consists of seven counties, including Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns — and their 27 municipalities."

[fsujax]

Zoo, I wonder what peoples reactions would be to Jacksonville spending $50 million to build a streetcar line in the urban core?

[thelakelander]

I'll take this one.  Better than spending $100 million to purchase isolated office parks and shopping centers and taking them off the taxrolls for BRT a decade down the road.

As I said in a meeting with JTA a few months ago, it all depends on how you present a plan.  If you sell it as spending $50 million for a streetcar line only for the urban core, they'll take it as well as spending a billion for dedicated busways that don't stretch past Gateway, Regency, Wilson Blvd and Baymeadows.

If you sell transit as a part of a vision, an investment in our future and a start to actually implementing a true integrated regional transportation plan, you may be suprised.  The US is choke full of successful examples out there to follow.

Maybe its time for JTA to fire their marketing staff and hire John Delaney?  Who would have thought he would have been successful at selling this community the BJP?  Its all about marketing and selling a vision.  Right now, that's not happening at 100 North Myrtle Avenue or 117 W. Duval St.

[fsujax]

I agree with that Lake.