Michael Blaylock is the executive director of JTA, formerly the Jacksonville Expressway Authority. As head of the JTA, Blaylock oversees the bus, trolley and skyway system as well as several major and minor road projects. Like much of the economy, JTA success revolves around the time of year, the price of gas and available funding for those projects.
Last week, Blaylock sat down with the editorial staff of the Daily Record to talk about everything from ridership to the long-range plans he has for JTA.
How are you?
Good, I think considering everything else. We’re facing the same challenges as everyone else, as are my colleagues within the mass transit system around the country. We haven’t reached that point yet.
What is that point?
Massive layoffs ... we’re thankful in that regard.
How many people are employed by JTA?
We have 720 people.
How’s ridership doing these days?
In October, JTA had over one million riders for a month, which is the largest in maybe 25 years. It’s been an extensive outreach in marketing to become market driven.
The mayor’s office recently announced that some City/JTA road projects within the Better Jacksonville Plan will be delayed. How does that affect the projects you are working on or have planned?
There are two parts to this. One, I agree with the mayor’s office and we’ll work through this. The projects that are underway, will get accomplished. We need to keep as many people working as possible. The second part is working through prioritization. What’s left? Based on what’s left, what’s the priority?
How are plans for the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center going?
We are making a plea for the JRTC to be a part of a stimulus package. I am lobbying for that. Maybe the DOT (Florida Department of Transportation) can shift the project to JTA so I can privatize sections of the project. It’s 40 percent designed right now and it’s supposed to be ready to go by June of 2009. It’s still a viable project. I am not going to say the door is closed. We still want to open it in 2011 when the (County) Courthouse opens.
When the price of gas was over $4 a gallon, ridership went way up. Now that gas is below $2 a gallon, is ridership still high?
Yes. People found out how easy it was to ride the bus and we did a better job of giving people what they asked for.
What’s your biggest expense?
Labor, like most. It takes a lot of drivers, a lot of mechanics, and a lot of service people.
How often do you go undercover and jump on a bus to experience JTA for yourself?
I try to do it on a monthly basis. I’ll put on the sunglasses and the baseball hat ... a lot of times, they recognize, but I pull the cap down.
Anyone in your role would be criticized by some people regardless. How do you handle the criticism?
I listen. We don’t always agree on things, but I listen because I want to get the pulse of the people.
What are the people saying, especially given these economic times?
They want to know whether or not the mayor’s (John Peyton’s) proposal is going to impact their service. I get asked it all the time now.
How have the recent troubles of the auto industry affected JTA?
We are still doing well. JTA experienced over one million riders in October. That has happened before and that was at a time when gas prices started to come down. In order to get to that point, we changed the dynamic on how we think about transit. We have become more market driven, instituting community transit meetings to find out what we need to do to better serve our customers. We also plan on reducing advertising on buses and doing more electronic advertising. Moving away from hub and spoke transportation systems is another priority. About 80 percent of our fleet comes into Downtown and this results in too much overlap. We need to make the system more efficient. There are plans for more surveying of what our customers want and evaluating the equipment we are using.
How would a reduction in automobile manufacturers affect the JTA?
General Motors used to make a lot of buses, but now there are less companies producing buses. Now, we use Gillig (a California-based manufacturer) and NABI (North American Bus Industries based in Anniston, Ala.).
What are your concerns for funding in the future?
We shouldn’t rely on the gas tax to fund transportation improvements. Right now we have a lot of people using the transportation system that have choices. They have a car in the garage at home, but they choose to use our system.
One of the complaints regarding transportation during Georgia/Florida weekend was that there were not enough buses to handle game day riders. What has been done to make sure this won’t happen in the future?
The mayor hiring Al Kinard (former chairman of logistics and operations for the Super Bowl Host Committee) as chief traffic guru was a step in the right direction. (Former) Mayor (Ed) Austin put a group together when he was in office and every time we had a major game like that we had a synergy between the different departments to handle the visitors. We didn’t have that synergy this year. We had pedestrians, cars and buses on Duval Street, and, unfortunately, some major accidents. With the mayor recasting that leadership, there is a recognition that there needs to be an investment if the city wants to attract major events. If you want to be the logistics center, you have to back it up. We benefit when the hotel rooms are filled because people attending those events buy clothes, food, gasoline.
How does mass transit fit into the scheme of things in terms of protecting the environment and economic development?
Transportation is just as important as fire and police. It’s about mobility and getting people around from point A to point B. If we’re serious about having a “greener” country and cleaning up the planet, we have to find a way to make it easier for people to be mobile. Another issue is the port expansion. There’s going to be competition for space on the highway network between private cars and commercial trucks and vehicles. If we can give commuters and other casual drivers good mass transportation options, that can reduce the demand on the road system. We can’t just keep adding capacity. Every time we open up a new lane on a highway, it’s at capacity five days later. I tell people JTA is the largest land developer in Duval County. Just look at the huge amount of capital investment along J. Turner Butler Boulevard. Town Center wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for JTB. We’re looking for the next major corridors to develop.
One aspect of the last mass transit fare increase was a change to making riders over the age of 60 years, who have ridden JTA free of charge for years, pay a small amount of fare for each bus ride. It never went into effect. Why not?
(U.S. Rep.) Corrine Brown actually came to a JTA board meeting and went to bat for the seniors. She told the board she works very hard for JTA and Jacksonville in Washington and she wanted them to reconsider any fare charge for seniors. After they looked at the numbers, the board said “OK” so the fare for seniors was taken off the table.
What do you do to relax?
I like to get up early in the morning and walk on the beach or explore the Timucuan Reserve behind the Kingsley Plantation. I love the water. Life can be hectic and stressful and I have to take the time to maintain my balance. I also love to read. I just finished a book by Jim Collins called “Good to Great” about how a lot of successful corporations are managed by people who have worked there a long time. It was good to read that because sometimes I wonder if I’ll be able to bring fresh ideas to JTA because I’ve worked there for so long.