JRTC Greyhound Terminal Design Moving Forward

[Dog Walker]

Ock, Last night there was a program called MusicVoyager on PBS World.  The host was visiting Bogota and interviewed the famous Colombian musician, Fonseca.  Bogota made NYC look sleepy.  At one point, Fonseca and the host took the funicular to the top of the mountain just outside the city for a panoramic view.  Just spectacular.

Made me want to call the airlines and book tickets.

[Seraphs]

It seems to me no one at JTA or anyone at city hall has ever been to a real multi- transportation hub.  As a kid I got the concept immediately, connectivity is the key.  What's the use in spreading four or five buildings over an entire area.  And the building design, they can't shake the suburb strip center mentality.

[urbaknight]

Let's all make a pact, Anyone in city council that supports the construction of this monstrosity, we should see to it that we campaign enough to get them voted out of office. This would be an irreversible disaster for the next 30 to 40 years, much too costly for them to be allowed to stay in council. And to those here on MJ that talked about running for council yourselves, Please do, you already have my vote!

[urbaknight]

Is it within DDRB's authority to question the location of the bus station in DT, or just the architectural style and site plan?

sadly this is a done deal....the only thing holding it back is $5 million

Yeah and guess where they'll get it? I'll bet they'll renege on the $5 mil tax incentive for the Laura st Trio so they can give it to this awful project!

[JeffreyS]

Let's all make a pact, Anyone in city council that supports the construction of this monstrosity, we should see to it that we campaign enough to get them voted out of office. This would be an irreversible disaster for the next 30 to 40 years, much too costly for them to be allowed to stay in council. And to those here on MJ that talked about running for council yourselves, Please do, you already have my vote!

+1

[Riverrat]

This design brings underwhelming to a new level.

[Ocklawaha]

Anyone wanna bet that Greyhounds corporate executives don't have a clue that this argument is going on? FDOT/JTA in a joint effort to screw the pooch, have misled these guys into believing they'll be the northern anchor of a wonderful 'functional' transportation center. If the rest of this terminal mess is never built (and the good money is betting it will never be completed or functional) one has to wonder who is on the hook for the libel lawsuits?

Bottom line, Greyhound is being led around like they had a ring in their nose by what just might be the greatest body of transit ignorance in the entire industry. City hall is being duped like a hutch full of rabbits facing down a cobra. There is absolutely no good reason to make this mistake happen, and those who argue that it will be another jewel in Jacksonville's crown I'd tell you your right, just like the Skyway, which through incompetence they have allowed to virtually die without completing a single line of the system they 'sold' the public. The Southside Parking garage which isn't accessable to inbound commuters until they are at the exit off the Main Street Bridge nearly downtown, another jewel. A bumbled BRT system plan of 23 miles and a BILLION dollars, that they are still correctly claiming will be  'Just Like Rail, Only CHEAPER!'. City Hall's contribution to this symphony is idiocy is found in a moratorium on a truly innovative Mobility Plan, and the likelyhood that they'll give JTA the $5 Million to kick off the abomination called the JRTC.

"A recent definition of Intermodal Transportation Centers equates it this way, 'The movement of people involving more then one mode of transportation during a single, seamless journey."

QUOTE FROM:  a study to define the term 'intermodal transportation center' by Mississippi State University. Believe me, the JRTC as currently designed with Greyhound anchoring the upper most reaches - virtually mandating that the 'filler pieces' be built to vaguely connect the various bus stations with Amtrak, will be in no way seamless. Bay Street, Houston Street, etc., 5 massive buildings, a 6+ block walk on a series of up and down overhead concourses, will all combine to make this the worst example of what the JRTC purports to be in all of the Americas.

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, FOR GODS SAKE DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND STOP THIS MOBILITY SUCICIDE SCHEME.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Btw, while combing the St. Johns River Water Management District permitting applications online, I noticed JTA submitted an application for the bus terminal on 12/8/11.

[urbaknight]

I saw the JTA show, Making Moves last night. Micheal Blaylock was selling the greyhound terminal like it will be the greatest thing to come. And they also mentioned several awards they won for excellence, including an award for the Riverside Trolley Facebook page, There isn't even a Riverside Trolley anymore! Who the hell are they fooling with their propaganda? It's really scary that they have the ability to pull the wool over the eyes of many people. But we here know the truth!

You can check out the show Making Moves on JTA's website on jtafla.com

I'm heavily campaigning to get top brass of JTA fired. I'm going as far as telling everybody on the buses I ride to demand the same thing. Even some drivers agree with me.

If anyone here on MJ can help me with the process of doing petitions or whatever I must do, I beg for any advice or direction to make this a reality.

[thelakelander]

The Riverside Trolley doesn't operate anymore?  I thought they had cut it back to the original route and service?

[duvaldude08]

I saw the JTA show, Making Moves last night. Micheal Blaylock was selling the greyhound terminal like it will be the greatest thing to come. And they also mentioned several awards they won for excellence, including an award for the Riverside Trolley Facebook page, There isn't even a Riverside Trolley anymore! Who the hell are they fooling with their propaganda? It's really scary that they have the ability to pull the wool over the eyes of many people. But we here know the truth!

You can check out the show Making Moves on JTA's website on jtafla.com

I'm heavily campaigning to get top brass of JTA fired. I'm going as far as telling everybody on the buses I ride to demand the same thing. Even some drivers agree with me.

If anyone here on MJ can help me with the process of doing petitions or whatever I must do, I beg for any advice or direction to make this a reality.

I agree. I was just on the phone with my mom actually talking about how incompetent and ass-backwards JTA is. I fed up with it. Did you see the chaos at the library yesterday? These people caught two and three buses to get their new Star card, and you turned them away because you system crashes because " we only expected 500 people and 1,500 showed up." And told them to come back tomorrow.?? They are completely DUMB. They should have expected the unexpected. People in this rely heavily on public transportation.  I could not imagine having to spend hours on the bus, and be told to go back home and do it all again the next day. Ive had it with them! The city has to speak up.

[tufsu1]

The Riverside Trolley doesn't operate anymore?  I thought they had cut it back to the original route and service?

it still operates....it got cut back to its original route but service uis still offered most of the day (where as originally it was only from 11-2)

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Actually it should be renamed to the '5-points/Courthouse Clusterfuck Trolley (with Laura St Detour)'.  Long name.  Amazing results.

[JeffreyS]

The Riverside Trolley doesn't operate anymore?  I thought they had cut it back to the original route and service?

it still operates....it got cut back to its original route but service uis still offered most of the day (where as originally it was only from 11-2)

Here are the hours from the award winning facebook page.

   
Hours of operation
Monday–Friday: 4:30 a.m.–7:22 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.–8:12 p.m.
Sunday: Not in service

[Ocklawaha]

I saw the JTA show, Making Moves last night. Micheal Blaylock was selling the greyhound terminal like it will be the greatest thing to come. And they also mentioned several awards they won for excellence, including an award for the Riverside Trolley Facebook page, There isn't even a Riverside Trolley anymore! Who the hell are they fooling with their propaganda? It's really scary that they have the ability to pull the wool over the eyes of many people. But we here know the truth!

If anyone here on MJ can help me with the process of doing petitions or whatever I must do, I beg for any advice or direction to make this a reality.

1. Some time ago I did a little check on this 'award winning' bunch... You should try it, it is a real knee slapper. Here is how it works. STEP ONE: Appoint someone director, officer, etc. at JTA.  STEP TWO: Put them on stage at one of the city's many award events (You know the type, nicest mailman, best lawn, most likely to serve 5 to 10 at Raiford, etc.) and you give them an award. BINGO! A REAL AWARD WINNING INSTITUTION.

2. I'm thinking we need an article on this and within the article a ready to print letter to both City Council and to the Federal Transit Administration. These letters should make it clear that:

The Jacksonville Terminal built in 1919 regularly handled 41,095  people a day or 15 Million per year
The original station is expected to be abandoned by the convention people.

JTA believes we need this, and 3 other 'stations,' covering as much ground as the Vatican to handle less then half of that many passengers.

By stringing out 5 stations over several blocks JTA is forcing intercity and intracity passengers into a long torturous walk in order to connect between modes.

That the JRTC will actually make the transfer situation in Jacksonville, the traditional surface transportation gateway to Florida, much more difficult.

With the Convention Center empty within 5-10 years, the City has an unprecedented opportunity to reinvigorate the old terminal into a true SEAMLESS intermodal terminal.
 
Any approval of the current scheme is a guarantees that Jacksonville will not have a true intermodal terminal, regardless of what they are calling this project, for decades to come.

Stop this plan.

Locally failure to stop this plan will result in citizen action to demand removal of any approving politician from office.

Then if you wish, add

'LOVE OCK'