Less commute traffic, cleaner air -- The answer lies within you

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by michaeldee

I don't understand why Jacksonville has such an aversion to car pooling. I'm not just picking on good ole Jax, but I could say the same about mostly any metropolitan area in the US. When I lived in Jacksonville I seemed to see more of its share of the proverbial one passenger per car during rush hour. I once mentioned to a fellow co-worker and got an extremly lame excuse about why he couldn't do it.

I can't understand why this is such a foreign concept to The First Coast. Why would someone not want to drastically reduce their monthly gasoline bill and vehicle depreciation? Why would someone not want to make a few friends while car pooling and have someone to chat with on a roadway that would be much less congested which interprets into a commute involving less time? Cleaner air? Well that's a given. It's a WIN, WIN, WIN!

And finally, doesn't the US's dependence on foreign oil concern you a little bit? What about the $4.00/gallon gasoline prices in 2008? I promise you it will happen again.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has a lot to be desired, but wouldn't car pooling be better than the JTA? Someone would pick you up at your front door or vice versa and take you to the front door of where you work. I'm not saying that all car poolers need to have their vehicles loaded to the gills with other people, but if just two people car pooled in a vehicle the impact would be dramatic.

I think that City-Data Forum could be an excellent way for potential car poolers to find each other, or the Pizza Party that happens from time to time. Why not make a statment to the greedy oil companies? Let Jacksonville lead the US as an environmentally friendly city.

Thinking big in Jax leads to a smackdown!

*chuckles*

*sighs*
.

[songgirl]

[quote][I think that City-Data Forum could be an excellent way for potential car poolers to find each other, or the Pizza Party that happens from time to time. Why not make a statment to the greedy oil companies? Let Jacksonville lead the US as an environmentally friendly city./QUOTE]

It's a great idea. You'd think that since many people here are putting so many miles on their cars just getting back and forth to work, they'd be more open to car pooling, but I haven't seen much interest.

My husband was driving over 50 miles each way from St. Augustine to over near the airport. I know a lot of people in St. Augustine work in Jacksonville as well, so I encouraged him post a note on our community bulletin board to see if anyone wanted to carpool. He didn't get one response.

On a side note, why doesn't Jacksonville have any car pool lanes?

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by songgirl

On a side note, why doesn't Jacksonville have any car pool lanes?

I'll guess that it's because our highways don't have enough lanes. And, the cost to build an additional lane isn't justified by the need. We're a big city, but we're not Atlanta big or LA big. Not even close.

[michaeldee]

How much is a gallon of regular unleaded these days in Jacksonville (haven't lived there since Jan. 2008)?

[fsquid]

2.79

[KerryB]

Adding lanes, carpooling lanes, more roads, etc isnt the answer & is more of a bandaid. We've seen cities that have done this that are still maxed out to capacity with terrible traffic (Atlanta). Its a recipe for eventual disaster. You can only build so many lanes & so many roads, then what? Stack roads on top of each other?? Economically & environmentally, that just doesn't make sense. Not to mention the headaches it causes travelers in general.

Everyone doesnt need or really want to have their own freakin car, but our infrastructure has been set up to where its pretty much a necessity. Looking back in history, the auto industry has had a big hand in making sure its played out like this for their own benefit. Its a crock of sh*t if you ask me, but it is what it is.

That car oriented mentality is the reason why sprawl is so outta control in cities, its a big reason why we dont walk anymore, its a big reason why our public transportation system sucks compared to other countries, its a big reason why so many Americans are overweight, its a big reason why no one knows their neighbors & arent as social, its a big reason why our roads stay gridlocked, etc. I could go on & on. Now the problem is fixing what's been long overdue.

The only real solution is to bring people closer in to the center core of town & get better public transportation for ourselves. If they want to continue the monorail here in Jax, then fine. Extend the track to places that people actually live in & want to travel to (Riverside, Downtown, Springfield, San Marco, etc), with trollies picking up the slack in & around the core, and "express buses" that take you directly to a transport hub for the outer core. I'll tell ya one thing, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to do that on the whole than to keep building & widening roads. It wouldnt solve the problem for everyone, but it would be a big big help.

I'd say the majority of families could at least become "one car families", which is really how it should be instead of "one car per licensed family member".

[michaeldee]

Kerry B -- I really like your post and I wanted people to at least start talking about the transportation situation in Jacksonville. I like to think that I am a futurist and look for better ways of doing things rather than the status-quo. If Jacksonville doesn't want to address this, then I think that many of the people who say post negative things about Jax may be right. I certainly think that residents of Jacksonville are more enlightened and would embrace positive change for this wonderful city.