Public Meeting Report - Jacksonville Transportation Authority

Bus Rapid Transit North Corridor Environmental Assessment Study
Public Meeting Report
Introduction
On Monday, November 10, a public scoping meeting was held at the Gateway Mall from
6 -7:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to kick off the Bus Rapid Transit North
Corridor Study, share project information, and seek public comments.
The meeting was an open house format with display boards, maps and a continuous
loop PowerPoint presentation explaining the study available for review. JTA staff and
consultants from Wilbur Smith & Associates were on hand to answer questions from the
public. A color, project information brochure, handout of frequently asked questions and
comment form were presented to each attendee of the meeting. Copies of the project
scoping booklet were also available.
Seventeen (17) people signed in as attending the meeting. A scan of the sign-in sheet
is included in the attachments. Post cards are being sent to all meeting attendees
thanking them for their participation and providing the website address for additional
project information.
Outreach and Notification Procedures
An 8.5 x 11 inch flier was prepared to invite the public and mailed to approximately
3,000 residences and businesses in advance of the meeting. Notification was also sent
to the Jacksonville City Council. The meeting was advertised on the JTA web site and
meeting announcement ads were run as follows:
• Florida Administrative Weekly 10/17/08
• Florida Times-Union 10/17/08
• Free Press 11/05/08
• Florida Star 11/07/08
Copies of the notification materials are included in the attachments.
Public Comments Summary
Comments were received from Mrs. Lucille H. McCoy at the meeting.

Bus Rapid Transit North Corridor Environmental Assessment Study
Public Meeting Report
Introduction
On Monday, November 17, a public scoping meeting was held at the FCCJ North
Campus from 6 -7:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to kick off the Bus
Rapid Transit North Corridor Study, share project information, and seek public
comments.
The meeting was an open house format with display boards, maps and a
continuous loop PowerPoint presentation explaining the study available for
review. JTA staff and consultants from Wilbur Smith & Associates were on hand
to answer questions from the public. A color, project information brochure,
handout of frequently asked questions and comment form were presented to
each attendee of the meeting. Copies of the project scoping booklet were also
available.
Seven (7) people signed in as attending the meeting. A scan of the sign-in sheet
is included in the attachments. Post cards are being sent to all meeting
attendees thanking them for their participation and providing the website address
for additional project information.
Outreach and Notification Procedures
An 8.5 x 11 inch flier was prepared to invite the public and mailed to
approximately 3,000 residences and businesses in advance of the meeting.
Notification was also sent to the Jacksonville City Council. The meeting was
advertised on the JTA web site and meeting announcement ads were run as
follows:
• Florida Administrative Weekly 10/17/08
• Florida Times-Union 10/17/08
• Free Press 11/05/08
• Florida Star 11/07/08
Copies of the notification materials are included in the attachments.
Public Comments Summary
Comments were received from Mr. Thomas B. Waters at the JTA offices.

Outreach and Notification Exhibits
Notification Flier
City Council Notification
Meeting Advertisement
JTA Web Notice

From: Mike Miller
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:40 AM
To: 'Gaffney, Johnny'; 'Jones, Warren'; 'E. Denise Lee'; 'Johnson, Glorious'; 'MJones@coj.net';
'audrey.gibson@myfloridahouse.gov'; Suraya Teeple; Scott A. Clem
Cc: Mike Blaylock; Diane Cunningham
Subject: Public meetings announcement
Importance: High
Attached are notices that are being published in area newspapers announcing a series of JTA Public
Meetings regarding a proposed North Bus Maintenance Facility and to share information on our North
Bus Corridor for our proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program. We would invite you to attend any or
all of these meetings. As always, if you desire a personal briefing on the subjects of these meetings,
please contact my office to schedule a meeting involving the project managers for these projects. Thank
you.
Mike Miller
Dir. External Affairs
JTA
100 N. Myrtle Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32203
(904) 630-3109
www.jtafla.com
mmiller@jtafla.com

JACKSONVILLE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
Purpose
The purpose of the public hearing is to share
project information and seek comments
in a formal setting (public hearing) for the
proposed North Bus Maintenance Facility
adjacent to the intersection of Golfair Blvd.
and Davis Street.
Public Hearing
North Maintenance Facility
Monday, November 10
4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Formal Presentation will start at 5:30 p.m.
Gateway Mall-Stage
(Near Bus Transfer Site)
5258 Norwood Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32208
Public Meeting
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) North Bus Corridor
JTA is conducting the BRT North Bus Corridor study to evaluate and potentially implement
cost-feasible options for bus rapid transit north of downtown Jacksonville. The study transit
corridor extends from downtown Jacksonville north along Boulevard Street to Gateway Mall
continuing north along Norwood Avenue/ Lem Turner Road ending south of Armsdale Road
(near I-295).
Purpose
The purpose of the public meeting is to kick-off the BRT North Bus Corridor Study (public
meeting), share project information, seek public comments, and present a study overview.
Monday, November 10
6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Gateway Mall-Stage
(Near bus transfer site)
5258 Norwood Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32208
Monday, November 17
6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
FCCJ North Campus
Auditorium, Room C-126
4501 Capper Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
Meeting Format (Open House)
This open house will include materials on both projects. During the open house, there will be a
continuous looped slide show and other study materials available for review. Citizens are invited
to view the study materials, discuss the projects with staff, and provide comments. More
information can be obtained in the North Bus Maintenance Report and BRT North Bus Corridor
Scoping Booklet which will be available for review starting on October 20, 2008 on the JTA
website, www.jtafla.com, and at the locations listed below:
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
Administration Building
100 North Myrtle Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32204
Tax Collector’s Office
Gateway Shopping Center
910 W. 44th Street
Jacksonville, FL 32208
Accessibility
Anyone requiring special accommodations should contact Winova Hart-Mayer at 630 3185 or
email whart@jtafla.com no later than seven days prior to the meeting. Public participation is
solicited without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or familial status.
Please Note: On Monday, November 10, 2008,
two meetings will be held at the Gateway Mall
Stage – the North Bus Maintenance Facility
Public Hearing followed by the BRT North Bus
Corridor Project Public Meeting to kick-off
the study.
100 North Myrtle Avenue,
Jacksonville Florida 32204
Tel (904) 630-3185
www.jtafla.com
Deadline for Comments
You may submit comments by November 20,
2008 to Ms. Winova Hart-Mayer,
Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Post
Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, FL 32203
or whart@jtafla.com. All comments received
at the meeting and until the close
of the comment period will be included in the
final documents.
22265

JTA Web site meeting notice

Meeting Materials
PowerPoint Presentation
Handouts

Bus Rapid Transit North Corridor
Environmental Assessment Study
Scoping Meeting Open House

Regional Transportation
System Vision
• Bus Rapid Transit
• Skyway
• Local and Community
Bus
• Downtown Trolley
• Roadways
• Potential Commuter Rail
and River Transit

Major Differences
BRT and Commuter Rail
• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
– Short or Medium Commutes
– No Need for Schedule
– Operates in Mixed Traffic or
Dedicated Lanes
– Significant Stations
– Customers Arrive/ Depart by
Various Modes (Walk, Bike,
Car, Bus, Ferry, and Rail)
• Commuter Rail
– Long Distance Commutes
– Must Know Schedule
– Operates on Railroad with
Freight
– Platform Stations
– Customers Arrive/Depart
by Car, Feeder Bus, BRT

One Transit System
BRT North Corridor
Waterbourne
Transit
Trolleys
Inter/Intra-County
Mobility
BRT Southwest
Corridor
Neighborhood
Circulators/Feeders
One
System
Title
Skyway
Regional Commuter Rail
Congestion Management/
Highway/ ITS
BRT East Corridor
Fixed Route Bus/
Express Bus
BRT Southeast Corridor

Purpose of Tonight’s Meeting
• To kick-off the Bus Rapid Transit North Corridor
Study
• Share project information
• Seek your comments
• Bus Rapid Transit System Update
• Description of North Corridor Study
• Proposed Improvements
• Next Steps

Bus Rapid Transit
System Update
Previous Study:
• Corridor Alignments and
Station Locations:
North
Southeast
East
Southwest
• First Tier of Environmental
and Community Impacts

Features and Benefits
Significant Transit
Stations
Enhanced Transit Stops
with Real-Time Information
New Vehicles and Coordinated
Neighborhood Shuttles
Real-Time Next Bus
Arrival Information
Traffic Signal Priority
Distinctive Buses with
Easier Boarding
Traffic Signal Priority
Exclusive Transit Lanes
Buses Every:
- 10 minutes rush hour
- 15 minutes non-rush hour

What are the Transportation
Needs in the North Corridor?
• Highest Number of People Using Transit to Get to
Work
• High Concentration of Transportation
Disadvantaged Including Seniors Over 65 and
People Under 18
• Connect People to Jobs, Schools, Shopping, and
Services

What’s Changed from
the Last Study?
• Near-Term Transit Needs
• Route Along Existing Streets
• No Separate Busway
• Land For Station Areas/Park-n-Ride
Facilities

Study Purpose
• Recommend Near-Term BRT
Improvements
• Determine Properties Needed
• Address Social, Economic and
Environmental Impacts

Where Does it Go?
From Downtown Jacksonville:
• North from Broad and State
Streets
• Along Boulevard to Golfair
Boulevard
• West along Golfair to North
along
Brentwood Avenue
• North along Norwood Avenue to
Lem Turner Road ending south
of Armsdale Road

Potential Station Locations
• W. State and Broad Streets
• Boulevard
– 8 th Street
– MLK Jr. Parkway
• Golfair/Gateway
• Lem Turner Road
– W. Edgewood Avenue
– Soutel Drive
– Dunn Avenue
– Armsdale Road
• Others?

Bus Lane Feature
Striped-out Areas Re-designated as Bus Lanes

Existing Lanes
Existing Travel Lanes Maintained for General Use

Intersection Improvement
Evaluations
• Intersections Analyzed For New
Technologies
• Queue Jumps
• Traffic Signal
Prioritization
Traffic Signal Priority

What is an Environmental
Assessment?
• A Federally Required Report to Identify and
Examine the Following Types of Impacts:

Next Steps
Deadline for Comments
November 20, 2008
Develop Alternatives
Public Meetings
Winter 2009
Draft Environmental Assessment
Public Hearing
Early Spring 2009
Final Environmental Assessment/
Finding of No Significant Impacts
Early Summer 2009

Your Comments
There are several ways to submit comments:
• Tonight on the comment forms provided
• By November 20:
• Email to whart@jtafla.com
• Fax to (904) 630-3166
• Mail to Winova Hart-Mayer
JTA Public Relations
100 North Myrtle Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32204
For more information visit www.jtafla.com or contact Winova Hart-Mayer at
(904) 630-3185.

THANK YOU!

Frequently Asked Questions
BRT North Corridor
1. What is the BRT North Corridor Project?
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) North Corridor project is a transit project proposed by JTA that will
have modern, environmentally friendly buses using existing streets with 10-15 minute
frequencies. The service combines advanced traffic signal technologies, dedicated travel lanes,
new vehicles, pre-board ticketing machines and new stations with real time customer
information, and park and ride locations to improve transit mobility, operating cost and service
frequency.
The service route extends north from State Street along Boulevard Street, to Golfair Boulevard,
then north along Brentwood Avenue continuing north along Norwood Avenue/Lem Turner Road
ending at Armsdale Road, just south of I-295.
2. How is BRT North Corridor linked into JTA’s regional transportation vision?
JTA‘s regional vision is to create a multi-modal system that addresses our regions’ diverse
transportation needs. The system will use established local bus, express bus, and expanded
community shuttles to feed into future BRT, commuter rail, and possibly waterborne transit
services. The BRT north corridor project, following the BRT Downtown Phase One project, is
the second long-range transit project to launch under JTA’s regional vision. You can learn more
about JTA’s regional vision by visiting www.jtafla.com click RTS.
3. What is the North Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA)?
The BRT North Corridor EA is the next level of environmental analysis that follows the Tier One
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). Previously referenced as the Tier Two,
the BRT North Corridor EA is a federally mandated process that allows JTA to obtain the
necessary approval to use federal funds to build the BRT over the next five to 10 years. During
the EA process social, economic and environmental impacts along the route, as well as,
mitigation of any impacts will be assessed.
4. Will this next level of environmental study be conducted in the other three Corridors?
Yes. JTA is tentatively planning to start the EA/Tier Two in the other corridors as follows:
Southeast in Spring 2009, Southwest in Fall 2009 and East in Winter 2009/2010. The North
Corridor is the first corridor under study because it has a high senior and transit dependent
population plus the highest number of people using transit. By implementing BRT in this area,
people will be able to connect to jobs, schools, entertainment and other services easier.
Page 1 of 3

Frequently Asked Questions
BRT North Corridor
5. Why has the route changed from I-95?
In the long-term, the JTA hopes to be able to operate transit service in/adjacent to managed
lanes along I-95. But with rising fuel prices, JTA sees the need for near-term transit
improvements for all the BRT corridors. To meet increasing demands in operating costs and
increased riders, JTA found it more beneficial to implement a near-term system that utilizes the
north corridor street arterials and can be operable within a five to 10 year period.
6. How will the new route affect the community homes, businesses and churches?
During the North Corridor Study, any impacts will be evaluated. JTA anticipates minimal
impacts since BRT will travel along the same streets utilized by existing local bus service. The
new route will give riders a more frequent, reliable service improving mobility within the
community.
7. Does this mean my property will no longer be purchased?
Each case varies depending on the location of the property. Now that JTA is focusing on
implementing BRT along existing streets as a part of the North Corridor Study, instead of
building an exclusive transitway along I-95 as presented in the Tier One study, the parcels
identified in the Tier One may no longer be of need. JTA will personally contact any individual
whose property is needed for the north corridor system development. Properties may be
needed in some locations along the new route for stations, queue jumps at traffic signals, and
for park and ride lots.
8. Will this affect our property values?
The JTA cannot predict impacts to property values. We are planning to build new stations and
shelters that are visually appealing, while providing a potential enhancement to the community.
9. Will streets be widened for bus lanes?
No. The system will use existing road infrastructure. Where additional road pavement is
available, such as the striped out lanes on Lem Turner Road between the Trout River and south
of Armsdale Road, restriping will allow for bus only lanes.
10. What will the stations look like?
At this time JTA is working with other agencies and community leaders to help us decided the
most suitable style of shelter to implement for the BRT system.
The new shelters are planned to offer security, lighting, real time information monitors, more
weather protection and other amenities.
Page 2 of 3

Frequently Asked Questions
BRT North Corridor
11. Why doesn’t the system connect to the Airport?
The highest need for service improvements today exists along Lem Turner Road to downtown
Jacksonville. JTA’s rail study will evaluate future transit connections between the rail lines and
the airport. Currently, JTA does offer direct express service to the airport with Air JTA (NS33).
12. When will there be service and how much will it cost?
The JTA is expecting to initiate the BRT service within the next five to ten years. The fare has
not yet been determined.
Page 3 of 3

Scans of Sign-in Sheet and Comments