Orlando Transit

[Uncommon]

3 hours ago, Naqiy90 said:

Sounds like you're describing cars, which are a real hassle for cities. Dockless bikes are great for people who need them, i.e. myself. Orlando will never stop being car-dependent if we reject new technology for last mile trips. The docked bikeshare doesn't help me because their are no stations in Lake Underhill. Dockless bikes NOW!

As a sunbelt city, Orlando will never stop being car-dependent either way lol. Hoping it will is sort of a fantasy.

As far as stations go, most in other cities I’ve been to were located near or around downtown or other extremely high traffic areas. Not sure what your plan is if that’s the case. You’d have to walk or get a ride downtown to rent a bike and then ride it back all the way near Lake Underhill. Do you live near the suburbs? Not sure that’s the demographic these bikes are being marketed toward.

[codypet]

3 minutes ago, Uncommon said:

As a sunbelt city, Orlando will never stop being car-dependent either way lol. Hoping it will is sort of a fantasy.

As far as stations go, most in other cities I’ve been to were located near or around downtown or other extremely high traffic areas. Not sure what your plan is if that’s the case. You’d have to walk or get a ride downtown to rent a bike and then ride it back all the way near Lake Underhill. Do you live near the suburbs? Not sure that’s the demographic these bikes are being marketed toward.

Barley and Vine has a Juice Station as well as the Curry Ford Winn Dixie.  If they have it, I don't see why Lake Underhill Park wouldn't have it.

[Uncommon]

3 minutes ago, codypet said:

Barley and Vine has a Juice Station as well as the Curry Ford Winn Dixie.  If they have it, I don't see why Lake Underhill Park wouldn't have it.

Naqiy posted that there are no stations near Lake Underhill, hence why he/she would want the dockless stations. If there are plans to add a station near Lake Underhill, then the problem becomes moot. But if there are no plans, the problem still exists: having to go out of one’s way to rent a bike.

[Naqiy90]

On 9/18/2018 at 8:45 AM, Uncommon said:

Naqiy posted that there are no stations near Lake Underhill, hence why he/she would want the dockless stations. If there are plans to add a station near Lake Underhill, then the problem becomes moot. But if there are no plans, the problem still exists: having to go out of one’s way to rent a bike.

Lake Underhill is two miles from Downtown, most definitely not the suburbs. There would probably be bikes in my apartment complex because so many people would use them to ride around Lake UnderHill, plus if no one else used them I could use the same bike every day by just dropping it outside my apartment. Dockless bike shares are part of the future of mobility, we must accept innovation, not be luddites that harm community members most in need by banning bikes that would help the transit dependent population in Orlando.

[klstorey]

Dockless bikes have had many issues in other cities but I think many of those issues result from inappropriate use by users. I think we have an opportunity in Orlando to learn from cities like Beijing, LA, Houston, and Tokyo to see what works and what doesn't. 

The biggest issue seems to be bikes just being dropped anywhere. This tells me we need to work on better and larger bike storage options. 

Also, not to sound negative but I doubt Orlando will see the issues other cities have faced simply because even if bikes were free and readily available I doubt many here would choose bikes over other transit options (mostly due to weather).  

IMO dockless bikes could work better here than many places simply because I don't see the numbers here to make them an issue. I hope they do cause bike use to increase here and thus push the city/county even more towards helping make our community more pedestrian friendly. 

[TRENCH]

On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 1:24 PM, Uncommon said:

They’re a nightmare in other cities. Residents and city officials hate them. People drop the bikes wherever they want, causing a disorderly mess in roads and sidewalks, at parks and stores, without any regard for propriety or pedestrians. In some cities, there are IG posts dedicated to innovative ways of destroying the bikes, like leaving them up trees, in city garbage cans, on top of buildings etc.

Dockless bikes haven’t  worked in far too many other cities; I don’t expect the swell residents of Orlando to be any better.

UCF got them this semester and they have been found in the 4th floor of parking garages,blocking doorways,  dumpsters, classroom, hanging from the ticket booth ceiling  @ the CFE arena...…… half of our reddit page hates them. its literally the joke of the school 

I agree with @klstorey, if there were appropriate docks, it'll be a win-win situation 

 

Edited September 20, 2018 by W7edwin

[Naqiy90]

17 hours ago, W7edwin said:

UCF got them this semester and they have been found in the 4th floor of parking garages,blocking doorways,  dumpsters, classroom, hanging from the ticket booth ceiling  @ the CFE arena...…… half of our reddit page hates them. its literally the joke of the school 

I agree with @klstorey, if there were appropriate docks, it'll be a win-win situation 

 

The half of UCF that complains about them probably drive everywhere and complain about parking nonstop. Honestly, I don't even think people who drive should get a say in the matter, until we ban cars i'm fighting to keep dockless bikes in Orlando!

[aent]

On 9/20/2018 at 6:00 PM, Naqiy90 said:

The half of UCF that complains about them probably drive everywhere and complain about parking nonstop. Honestly, I don't even think people who drive should get a say in the matter, until we ban cars i'm fighting to keep dockless bikes in Orlando!

Yes, people just love to complain. And the worst part about the parking is every time they built a new garage, it wouldn't get any easier to park, all that would happen is the bus ridership would drop by the amount of added vehicles to the campus. Then they would slow down the bus service because of lower ridership, causing more people to want to drive... like building parking garages was easily the worst thing to do about the parking situation.

[spenser1058]

For our Hyperloop fans, here are some pics from Spain via CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hyperloop-capsule/

Now, if Elon can just stay out of trouble...

[WAJAS]

9 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

For our Hyperloop fans, here are some pics from Spain via CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hyperloop-capsule/

Now, if Elon can just stay out of trouble...

FYI, Elon came up with the original concept, but he isn't involved with any of these proposals by any of the companies.

[Naqiy90]

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7CY3AQAAMAAJ&hl=en

 

Not relevant to transit today, but while searching for the location of the old LYNX station I found this Environmental report for the canceled light rail that is very fascinating for anyone interested in the technical details of transit. Also if anyone has any old LYNX system maps or other Orlando transit history, I would love to see it. I have been reading old board reports going back to 2005, it's disheartening to see them discussing projects literally a decade ago i.e SR 50 BRT that they have yet to even begin now :/

[spenser1058]

50 minutes ago, Naqiy90 said:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7CY3AQAAMAAJ&hl=en

 

Not relevant to transit today, but while searching for the location of the old LYNX station I found this Environmental report for the canceled light rail that is very fascinating for anyone interested in the technical details of transit. Also if anyone has any old LYNX system maps or other Orlando transit history, I would love to see it. I have been reading old board reports going back to 2005, it's disheartening to see them discussing projects literally a decade ago i.e SR 50 BRT that they have yet to even begin now :/

I'm ancient enough to remember riding the old Orlando Transit Company ("Go With Bo") buses as a kid.  When it went belly up and OSOTA (now Lynx) started up, one of the most exciting things about it was that we finally got modern air-conditioned buses. The old Transit Company buses were relics from the Rosa Parks era and had no a/c and the springs in the seats wore out in 1952 or so. To keep from dying in the heat, you had to open the windows and, if the poorly maintained diesel fumes coming in didn't kill you, the cigarette smoke would (Bo refused to prohibit smoking.) Now you know why I have to chuckle when free-market types insist that the private sector is always better!

But it was cool to head downtown without my parents to the old bare bones terminal on Central and wander around at the library, Sears and Ivey's. Lunch was Morrison's on Central or the Royal Castle. Life was exciting when I was 10.

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by spenser1058

[WAJAS]

1 hour ago, Naqiy90 said:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7CY3AQAAMAAJ&hl=en

 

Not relevant to transit today, but while searching for the location of the old LYNX station I found this Environmental report for the canceled light rail that is very fascinating for anyone interested in the technical details of transit. Also if anyone has any old LYNX system maps or other Orlando transit history, I would love to see it. I have been reading old board reports going back to 2005, it's disheartening to see them discussing projects literally a decade ago i.e SR 50 BRT that they have yet to even begin now :/

Wasn’t the old station where the new Fire Station 1 for OFD is?

[spenser1058]

4 minutes ago, WAJAS98 said:

Wasn’t the old station where the new Fire Station 1 for OFD is?

Indeed.

[Urban Mail Carrier]

Ahhh yes the fire station.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

11 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I'm ancient enough to remember riding the old Orlando Transit Company ("Go With Bo") buses as a kid.  When it went belly up and OSOTA (now Lynx) started up, one of the most exciting things about it was that we finally got modern air-conditioned buses. The old Transit Company buses were relics from the Rosa Parks era and had no a/c and the springs in the seats wore out in 1952 or so. To keep from dying in the heat, you had to open the windows and, if the poorly maintained diesel fumes coming in didn't kill you, the cigarette smoke would (Bo refused to prohibit smoking.) Now you know why I have to chuckle when free-market types insist that the private sector is always better!

But it was cool to head downtown without my parents to the old bare bones terminal on Central and wander around at the library, Sears and Ivey's. Lunch was Morrison's on Central or the Royal Castle. Life was exciting when I was 10.

 

Not old as you are but I remember going to the old Lynx Central terminal when I was a kid. $0.50 and $0.10 transfers!
I used to ride Link 36 downtown after middle school and head to the library by myself. I was 12.  Lunch was whatever the cafe is across from Library!
Good times. I miss that Lynx with the cushioned seats.

[dcluley98]

Interesting article from CityLab about the state of public transit in America, including what cities get wrong, how they can approve, and factors such as increasing density and frequency of public transportation. 

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/01/public-transportation-problems-sustainable-mobility-data/580684/

[orlandoguy]

From today’s Sentinel:

Lynx stop: a ‘horrible’ place that reveals problems with public busing system

http://bit.ly/2RZIhg2

[spenser1058]

First of all, let’s acknowledge the fact this is definitely a problem. Underfunding of Lynx is chronic and won’t change until there’s a dedicated source of funding.

Now that the OC Commission is in Democratic hands, this should finally be addressed.

Having said that, Ms. Vargo has been a PITA at City Hall for decades now. We only hear from her when she wants something. 

Not only did the Sentinel heavily tilt the piece toward her, it was quite odd Lynx staff was not asked to address it. Further, the only other folks they quoted are all Republicans (although Lee Constantine is among the most moderate and effective ). In terms of Journalism 101, the article was an epic fail.

Would someone PLEASE sell the Sentinel to the Tampa Bay Times and out of Tronc’s madness? Let’s get dcluley on that.

[Dale]

I seem to remember when most of the buses were wrapped. When did that stop being a thing ? I kinda liked it.

 

[jgardnerucf]

19 hours ago, Dale said:

I seem to remember when most of the buses were wrapped. When did that stop being a thing ? I kinda liked it.

 

They are wrapped, in solid colors.

[orlandoguy]

Maxwell takes on the issues with Lynx (again) in today’s Sentinel:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/taking-names-scott-maxwell/os-op-lynx-buses-edward-johnson-scott-maxwell-20190214-story.html

The idea of our largest tourism employers subsidizing bus routes is great (even if it is only just a few routes), but what about all of the hotels, resorts, and attractions that aren’t Disney or Rosen? There are so many smaller, non-corporate owned businesses that employ our lowest wage workers that I assume could never rise to this level of financial support ... yet they still employ thousands of bus riders or would-be bus riders. I leave Universal out if this question because Maxwell didn’t mention them and they’re definitely not one of the little guys.

Clearly employer-subsidized routes are but one small component in the larger solution ... but boy do I wish our local government could get their butts in gear and find said solution. [emoji589]

[dcluley98]

Driverless Buses to begin Operating in Orlando this Spring

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orange/os-ne-orlando-autonomous-bus-20190219-story.html

This is similar to what we were discussing previously with the smaller autonomous pods that hold up to 15 passengers. Will start in Lake Nona area, not downtown. 

[jgardnerucf]

Reason why not downtown; developer said he is still working on robot extendo arm to poke and wake up bums, and also working on voiceover company with rebuttals from cursing from bums not getting off after 17 loops. 

[Jernigan]

These will probably work better in Lake Nona than downtown.