Anti-bus, pro-rail transit advocates in Jacksonville, Florida

See "Web site pushes alternative to bus rapid transit: MetroJacksonville.com proposes using rails instead of JTA's system," from the Florida Times-Union. From the article:

... when he sat through a Jacksonville Transportation Authority meeting on its Bus Rapid Transit proposal - and came away with the belief that the idea would kill downtown, divide neighborhoods and, ultimately, fail to attract riders.

"It's just not well thought out. Instead of using transit to bring people together, it's driving them away," said Davis, one of the three men behind MetroJacksonville.com, which has become a locus of anti-BRT/pro-rail sentiment.

That belief has set up a fight between the Web site and JTA, between those looking for downtown nightlife and those looking to fund construction projects, between citizens and bureaucrats, between insiders and outsiders.

To be clear, it's difficult - perhaps impossible - for anyone to convincingly say whose plan is right.

Across the country, bus and rail proponents alike come equipped with data-filled charts and examples of cities where their favored system is doing well. Both sides say the other lies.

Locally, JTA's bus-based system is the one vetted by the professionals, but the authority itself says it has no idea how much it will cost. The proposal by the main group of opponents comes with in-depth maps (and cost estimates), but, at the end of the day, hasn't gone through the governmental sausage grinder.