J Magazine Spring 2018

Nat Ford watches as riders disembark from an autonomous vehicle at JTA’s test track near Metropolitan Park. The vehicles would eventually circulate Downtown.
of a new Greyhound Bus terminal, which
opens in March. By the end of 2020, the
regional center will also house the JTA’s
new administrative headquarters, the
main bus transfer facility, an area for niche
intercity bus services like the Megabus, a
pedestrian bridge, an enclosed passenger
waiting area, public restrooms, a bike storage
area and much more.
n Started work on pursuing a potential
autonomous vehicle service, with a test
track already in place to develop driverless
vehicles that would circulate around the
Downtown core and connect riders to key
Downtown spots and neighborhoods. And
that’s just some of the stuff Ford has gotten
done.
Clearly, Ford embraces the idea of being
a change agent who isn’t afraid to think big.
And Ford’s engaging “we can do it” spirit
was clearly on display during a Q and A
session with J Magazine.
What should be the JTA’s role in shaping
the future Downtown?
It’s critical that the JTA step up and have a
large role in Downtown’s success.
Look at the cities that are generally
considered our peers — and have
downtowns that are really successful:
Charlotte, Nashville, San Diego, Seattle and
Portland.
They all have public transportation
systems that obviously help people get to
and from work. But they do more than that.
They also provide even greater mobility for
people once they’re within the downtown
area.
They play a big role in creating the high
levels of activity that those cities have in their
downtowns.
They are a big reason why those
downtowns are so vibrant.
That’s what our challenge is at the JTA.
It is to build a robust transit network that
doesn’t just move people into Downtown
but, more importantly once they are
Downtown, moving them quickly from one
activity to the next, one location to the next,
one venue to the next.
That’s how we can add to the vibrancy
of the future Downtown Jacksonville, and
we’ve been working very hard in that regard.
It started with the (overhaul of the route
system).
Then we introduced the first two legs of
the First Coast Flyer to provide a premium
bus line service from and to the north and
south.
And at the same time, we began our
study into what to do with the Skyway —
should it stay? Should it be torn down and
turned into something else?
The fortunate thing is that on all of these
issues, we’ve been able to pull together all
of the stakeholders — from the educational
community, the business community,
elected officials, the Downtown Investment
Authority, our citizens.
What’s an example of how that partnership
has made a real difference in shaping the
future Downtown Jacksonville?
Well, for example, just from all of us
working together, it became really clear
that when you look at the development
taking place Downtown, we are really
going to need some type of conveyance
BRUCE LIPSKY
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J MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018