Back to the Future?

[mySpringfield]

February 24th, 1893. 

The first streetcar in Jacksonville rolls north on Main Street.  Originating from Bay Street in Downtown, the electrified tracks lead to the famous Waterworks Park tourist attraction on 1stStreet.  Just one month later, all of Main Street is equipped with electrified tracks. Soon other commercial corridors, like Walnut and Pearl Streets, hear the streetcars’ rumble.

That was then.

Full Article

[fsu813]

The best way someone can support the 2030 Mobility Plan at this time is simply to take a few minutes to e-mail the City Council. Let them know it's important to you, and to Jacksonville on whole:

District Council Members
District 1: Clay Yarborough Phone: (904) 630-1389
Email: Clay@coj.net
Assistant: BeLinda Peeples
District 2: William Bishop Phone: (904) 630-1392
Email: WBishop@coj.net
Assistant: Suzanne Warren
District 3: Richard Clark Phone: (904) 630-1386
Email: RClark@coj.net
Assistant: Sonia Johnson
District 4: Don Redman Phone: (904) 630-1394
Email: Redman@coj.net
Assistant: Scott A. Wilson
District 5: Art Shad Phone: (904) 630-1382
Email: AShad@coj.net
Assistant: Debbie Delgado
District 6: Jack Webb Phone: (904) 630-1388
Email: Webb@coj.net
Assistant: Suzie Loving
District 7: Dr. Johnny Gaffney Phone: (904) 630-1384
Email: Gaffney@coj.net
Assistant: Bridgette Green
District 8: E. Denise Lee Phone: (904) 630-1385
Email: EDLee@coj.net
Assistant: Tiffany Hager
District 9: Warren A. Jones Phone: (904) 630-1395
Email: WAJones@coj.net
Assistant: Rupel Wells
District 10: Reginald L. Brown Phone: (904) 630-1684
Email: RBrown@coj.net
Assistant: Daphne Colbert
District 11: Ray Holt Phone: (904) 630-1383
Email: Holt@coj.net
Assistant: Connie Holt
District 12: Doyle Carter Phone: (904) 630-1380
Email: doylec@coj.net
Assistant: Rebekah Adams
District 13: Dick Brown Phone: (904) 630-1397
Email: DickB@coj.net
Assistant: Stan Johnson
District 14: Michael Corrigan Phone: (904) 630-1390
Email: Corrigan@coj.net
Assistant: Dianne Smith

At-Large Council Members
Group 1: Ronnie Fussell Phone: (904) 630-1393
Email: RonnieF@coj.net
Assistant: Mina Hosseini
Group 2: John R. Crescimbeni Phone: (904) 630-1381
Email: JRC@coj.net
Assistant:
Group 3: Stephen C. Joost Phone: (904) 630-1396
Email: Joost@coj.net
Assistant: Celeste Hicks
Group 4: Kevin Hyde Phone: (904) 630-1398
Email: KHyde@coj.net
Assistant: Alison Miller
Group 5: Glorious J. Johnson Phone: (904) 630-1387
Email: GloriousJ@coj.net
Assistant: Sandra Lane

[aboston]

webb has made statements indicating he may not support it

[jason_contentdg]

Sounds familiar:

http://youtu.be/tY6tBMcmt1A

[dblanch100]

Good find Jason. The only problem I have is, with a city of 800,000 in Duval, or 1.3 Million in the region, we should be eyeballing the big boys, not Grand Rapids

Jacksonville has a pretty expansive streetcar system too! I would kill to see a trolley toll up Main Street!

[Debbie Thompson]

Good find Jason. The only problem I have is, with a city of 800,000 in Duval, or 1.3 Million in the region, we should be eyeballing the big boys, not Grand Rapids

Jacksonville has a pretty expansive streetcar system too! I would kill to see a trolley toll up Main Street!

Ditto. Street cars would be so cool! Didn't they pull up the tracks when the re-did Main Street this time? Or was it earlier?

[fsu813]

The City Council passed the 2030 Mobility Plan this evening.

This is a HUGE step to making streetcar & rail a reality, and was very much in doubt.

It is also meant to somewhat incentivize infill over suburban sprawl.

Things are definitely looking up. : )

[aboston]

2020 wasnt realistic for streetcar before but now it is maybe sooner than anyone thought. lakelander from metrojacksonville

Regarding the mass transit component of the plan, from what I understand, the skyway extension to Atlantic Blvd in San Marco was removed because of fear that the bad air around the system could potentially take down the entire mobility plan. Thus, that $21 million the plan dedicated to it, has been shifted to help speed up the contruction of the streetcar line between downtown and Springfield (Shands).

[fsu813]

The plan is getting more pub.

The transition team advising Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown on transportation is suggesting he consider the first new public transit option in downtown since the Skyway.

In a report Brown received last week, the group recommended Brown publicly endorse and work to move forward with a trolley streetcar that would run on tracks through the downtown. The estimated cost of building this system is about $71 million.

More at:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011 ... ent-455422

[fsu813]

The city council is telling JTA to focus on mass transit:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012 ... g-business

This is amazing.


“JTA [board members] should take this opportunity to look at where they are going,” said council Vice President Bill Bishop. “I’d suggest they look at themselves as a transit organization and not road builders.”

City government, not JTA, should be in charge of road building, Bishop said.

Last year, Blaylock floated the idea of renewing the existing 6-cent gas tax and adding an extra 5 cents per gallon. The City Council strongly criticized it and the idea was dropped. Blaylock said at the time that JTA couldn’t do road construction without at least renewing the gas tax.

Mayor Alvin Brown has also opposed extending the gas tax, and reiterated that stance on Thursday.

Councilman John Crescimbeni said JTA won’t be building roads in the future because it lacks the funds to do it.

“I think they’ll have to focus on mass transit,” Crescimbeni said. “Because there is no political will to extend the gas tax.”

That means JTA should shed its road building departments and become a leaner and more compact organization with a leader who understands mass transit, Crescimbeni said.

It was a mistake for the city to ever give road construction to an outside entity because the city has the taxing power. And the city should be responsible for building the roads, Crescimbeni said.

Bishop and Crescimbeni don’t have a specific way to fund road-building in the future and said projects may have to wait until the economy gets better.

“And if we do ask for another tax at some point it should go to the voters,” Crescimbeni said. “It shouldn’t be approved by a council vote.”

City Councilman Warren Jones doesn’t agree that JTA should get out of the road construction business. But he concedes that in the short term, JTA should probably look for an executive director with a strong transit history.

“There just isn’t going to be a lot of money for road construction right now,” Jones said. “And we need to find a better way to get people around town.”