by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
The Intelligent Transportation System, a program with the ability to assess traffic situations citywide and make adjustments and advisories accordingly, may carry $50 million minimum price tag, but advocates on the City Council contend it will save money for all invested parties, including the City, State and Federal government.
“Frankly, it’s going to cost us so much more to add lanes or overpasses every few years,” said Council vice president Elaine Brown. “I believe every major city needs something like ITS. We’re growing every year and the congestion problems that we’re experiencing now are only going to get worse if we don’t do something about it.”
Recently, Brown and fellow Council member Lake Ray assembled a “round table,” including members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, fire department, JEA and Jacksonville Transportation Authority to look into establishing an ITS Master Plan.
Ray, who also chairs the Transportation, Technology, Environment and Energy Committee, said the group will need more information before anyone can determine where and when ITS could be installed locally.
“We’ve just started to look at how ITS would work here,” said Ray, who has observed ITS operations in Tallahassee and Dallas. “The first step in getting it in place here is properly assessing what our needs are. From there, we’ll be able to determine what kind of system we want to go with and how we’ll fund it. It’s taken Dallas 10 years to be at 60 percent and that’s just not acceptable for us. They are about three times as large as we are so we’re hoping it can be accomplished in four or five years.”
Ray added it would be “wonderful” to have one leg of ITS in place downtown in time for the 2005 Super Bowl, but it “is not the push. There is a lot involved.”
According to Brown, both the Chamber of Commerce and the mayor’s office have been “very receptive to the idea of ITS,” though Ray and Council member Jerry Holland said it has been somewhat difficult to schedule a meeting and establish a running dialogue.
“It’s included in his mayoral goals, but he didn’t address it in his speech before the Council at our first meeting,” said Holland. “I’m sure he is focusing a lot of his energy on the budget and the current deficit facing Jacksonville before he can look at it more closely.”
Sandy Bateh, division chief of information technology for the City, said Peyton would continue to be “bullish in pursuing emerging technology for the City that saves money,” but added he couldn’t comment on any specific dollars set aside for the project.
“With ITS you’re approaching more of a City/State issue,” he said. “It may or may not be something he will be looking into in the future.”
In the meantime, Brown and Ray will continue to spearhead ITS efforts for the Council while awaiting reports from the Florida Department of Transportation — “They’ve done so much for ITS in-state,” said Brown — and independent consulting firm Reynolds, Smith & Hill.
“Lake and I are committed to this project,” said Brown. “We’re in it together and as we compile more information, we’ll be able to start getting a resolution together to present before the rest of the Council.”