by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been an idea that has been around Jacksonville and JTA for at least four years. The concept behind BRT is to reduce travel time and improve connectivity for passengers. It’s also considered by the Federal Transit Administration to be an enhancement for mass transit and therefore qualifies for federal funding.
The basic concept is that buses travel on existing streets but on lanes designated exclusively for mass transit vehicles. Traffic signals are modified to allow the buses to maintain momentum by always having the green light. Improved bus stops with real-time schedule information and streetscape improvements are also part of the package.
During that time the routes that might be used for the project have been the subject of controversy.
The initial plan to route the buses on lanes reserved exclusively for mass transit vehicles on Bay, Forsyth and Adam streets was opposed by property and business owners and others who believe buses and pedestrian-oriented street-level retail and entertainment don’t mix.
At a public hearing conducted by JTA Thursday, it appeared that there will be opponents of the BRT route no matter where it is.
JTA wants to begin Jacksonville’s BRT system Downtown, then expand it over a period of years to all areas of the county. Within BRT Phase One, as it was presented Thursday, the Northbank side of the route will run along Broad and Jefferson streets then travel south over the Acosta Bridge to Riverplace Boulevard and the Kings Avenue Station. The first phase also includes shorter legs from Broad and Jefferson streets to the existing Convention Center Skyway Station, which is the future site of the Regional Transportation Center.
Robert Mann, president of Jacksonville Traction, Inc. and an admitted advocate for electric streetcars, said he supports the portion of Phase One that represents “A chance to reclaim some of LaVilla along the Jefferson and Broad lines,” but added he feels the Southbank segment duplicates the existing Skyway track.
Developer Mike Langton, a partner in Bay Street Station — a proposed mixed-use project near the Osborn Center — had his doubts about BRT in his new neighborhood.
“We are new urbanists. We don’t think a rapid bus flying by us is a good idea,” he said.
Langton added he would support making Bay a two-way street to create a more pedestrian-oriented area. He also said he would support having a streetcar line from near the proposed Bay Street Station to the Sports Complex.
There were also those at the hearing who entirely oppose the BRT plan, including Matt Uhrig, owner of Bike Jax. He said he can’t understand why Jacksonville needs buses to connect areas Downtown where the distances aren’t that great.
“The whole world is working toward slower, calmer streets. Buses don’t fit in with that concept,” he said.
Downtown resident Richard Burton suggested that any additional mass transit options in the urban core might not be needed at all. He said in the year he has lived at the Metropolitan Lofts, he has noticed, “No one rides the trolleys, buses or Skyway. If you do ride the Skyway, you’re probably the only one on it. What we really need is to bring more people Downtown.”
JTA Transportation Planning Manager Suraya Teeples said JTA hopes to start developing the final design of Phase One this winter and begin widening parts of Jefferson Street and installing new signals along the route in winter 2009.
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