Implementation of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Bus Rapid Transit system remained on schedule Thursday after the Downtown Development Review Board of the City’s Office of Economic Development approved signage and bus shelter design along with BRT stop locations.
However, the board’s approval wasn’t without a design modification and a requirement to provide more information.
JTA presented a proposal to install “totem” style signs at BRT stops 3 feet wide by 15 feet tall. The board questioned the need for a sign that would extend 6 feet above the 9-foot tall shelters. JTA was directed to change the design to a maximum of 12 feet in height.
The board also stipulated that approval is contingent on JTA providing samples of the materials to be used for the signs and a sample of the color to be used on the signage and shelters.
The locations of 13 BRT stops Downtown was also presented.
The Downtown segment of the BRT system is the first phase, scheduled to be in operation in the first quarter of 2013.
Suraya Teeple, BRT program manager, said the Downtown phase has been “fully federally funded” under the requirements for a “Downtown transit enhancement.” She said based on concerns from Downtown Vision Inc. and the City, BRT buses will not travel through the central core of Downtown. Connections to BRT from the core will be provided by JTA trolleys.
Teeple also said the “rapid transit” element of BRT does not mean that buses will be traveling rapidly.
“It means limited stop service,” she said.
BRT routes will have longer distances between stops than other JTA routes, allowing passengers to reach destination stops faster and then connect with other bus routes.
Another requirement to receive the federal funding is that the BRT system must be branded, Teeple said.
JTA’s marketing department chose “MAX,” an acronym for Metropolitan Area Express. Teeple said the same name brand is also being used for BRT systems in Las Vegas and Kansas City, Mo.
Architect Tim Miller was elected chair of DDRB, succeeding urban planner Andy Sikes. Miller will serve a one-year term.
The two-year terms of board members Jonathan Garza, John Fischer, Chris Flagg, Logan Rink and Roland Udenze expired in June. All agreed to continue their volunteer service on the board, subject to Mayor Alvin Brown’s recommendation and approval by City Council.
The next scheduled meeting of DDRB is 2 p.m. Sept. 6 in the Lynwood Roberts Room at City Hall.
@drmaxdowntown
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Downtown Bus Rapid Transit Stops
1. Kings Avenue Station, no shelter
2. Riverplace Boulevard eastbound
3. Riverplace Boulevard westbound
4. Museum Circle eastbound
5. Museum Circle westbound
6. Bay Street at Intermodal Center westbound, no shelter
7. Bay Street at Jefferson Street westbound
8. Forsyth Street at Intermodal Center eastbound, no shelter
9. Forsyth Street at Jefferson Street eastbound
10. Broad Street at the County Courthouse northbound
11. Broad Street at LaVilla School of the Arts northbound
12. Jefferson Street at LaVilla School of the Arts southbound
13. Jefferson Street at the County Courthouse southbound
Source: Jacksonville Transportation Authority