JTA Skyway: Nation's Fastest Growing Rail System!

[Metro Jacksonville]

JTA Skyway: Nation's Fastest Growing Rail System!



Long known as Jacksonville's white elephant, the JTA Skyway has a new accolade to add to it's list.  According to American Public Transportation Association (APTA), over the last year, our own much maligned Skyway was the nation's fastest growing fixed mass transit system in terms of average weekday ridership over the first three quarters of 2012.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-jan-jta-skyway-nations-fastest-growing-rail-system

[Noone]

Same could be said for our Waterways.

 3 hours out from a JWC FIND  subcommittee  for Projects within the new DIA/CRA.

We took fixed transit to Bay St. Pier Park.

Today provided a tactical urban spark that lead to epoch access and economic opportunity to our 310 mile long St. Johns River an American Heritage River a Federal initiative in our newly created Authority Zone.

[duvaldude08]

This is awesome news!

[urbanlibertarian]

If Winn Dixie started giving away groceries they could become America's fastest growing grocery chain.

[thelakelander]

Sort of like giving away free access to streets, highways, and parks?

[urbanlibertarian]

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

[jcjohnpaint]

But there are other funding mechanisms that could be tapped. I do think it does show the possibility is there when many said no one would ever ride it no matter what (It is not is Jax's DNA).  They were obviously wrong. 

[peestandingup]

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Ah, the misguided libertarian response. I know cause I used to be just like you. And you're right, nothing's free. Real quick though. Do a cost analysis on how much you personally spend on car ownership, not just for you but your whole family too (if you're married). Now realize you have no choice but to pay that "tax" since you're in a town with almost zero decent public transit, biking network, etc that's actually usable. Then tell me how many times you've bitched about that "tax". I bet it hasn't been much at all.

Just FYI, it isn't "freedom" if you're practically forced to do something.

[urbanlibertarian]

Yes, travel by automobile isn't cheap but it's very convenient.

[peestandingup]

Yes, travel by automobile isn't cheap but it's very convenient.

Well sure. I guess it is convenient when you've built the entire system around the automobile. I.E. Forced everyone into the racket.

[duvaldude08]

But there are other funding mechanisms that could be tapped. I do think it does show the possibility is there when many said no one would ever ride it no matter what (It is not is Jax's DNA).  They were obviously wrong.

I believe it was said that the more people that ride it, the more federal money they can get. And can use that money to cover the cost of operating it fare free.

[thelakelander]

^Pretty much. You're not doing yourself any good charging 1,700 daily riders fifty cents each.

[Mathew1056]

Yes, travel by automobile isn't cheap but it's very convenient.

Tell a commuter in LA how convenient it is. In my opinion, Walking to a well stocked grocer at the corner of my block would be convenient. Taking 10 minutes to find my damn keys, turning my car on only to find I need a fill up, gassing up, driving at least 5 miles, finding parking, walking about a block to the supermarket door, stocking up for a week because screw doing this again within 7 days, loading the groceries, driving home, unloading the groceries. Yep, driving is much more convenient.

[duvaldude08]

^Pretty much. You're not doing yourself any good charging 1,700 daily riders fifty cents each.

Do any public transportation systems actually make a profit? Or is the goal to break even?

[thelakelander]

The goal is a quality of life benefit for the community.  Just like public schools, parks, riverwalks, and paved streets. You're not going to pay for the O&M of many transit systems collecting change at the fare box.  These things pay for themselves indirectly, when properly planned and integrated with supportive land uses, in the form of higher property values and a denser built environment.

Take NYC for example.  Imagine Manhattan without transit.  You'd have a ton of parking lots, more street congestion, a fraction of the built square footage and property taxes.