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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-13-TAC-min Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes April 13, 2021—Virtual Meeting Place and Time: Remote Participation via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 7:05 p.m. Members Present: Sally Castleman, Co-Chair; Elaine Dratch; Sara Arnold; Pamela Lyons; Andra Bennett; Vinita Verma Liaisons Present: Mark Sandeen, Select Board (SB); Melanie Thompson, Planning Board; Sudhir Jain, Council on Aging; Shefali Verma, Lexington High School Staff: Susan Barrett, Manager, Transportation Services Other Attendee: Nagarjuna Venna In accordance with the Governor's March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law; Ms. Lyons reviewed the guidelines for holding a remote meeting and reported that the meeting was being called to order at approximately 7:05 p.m. on April 13, 2021. Ms. Castleman confirmed attendance by roll call. Minutes: After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to accept the March 91h & March 13th, 2021 Minutes. A roll call vote was taken. VOTE: March 91h Minutes 4-0; March 131h Minutes 5-0 Liaison Update by Mr. Jain: The proposal of the Senior Parking Program was passed unanimously by the board of Council on Aging (COA) and it was decided that the proposal be included in the Select Board's agenda for the next meeting along with a letter explaining the purpose of this program, and the objections that were raised by the Parking Management Group and others. Ms. Dratch wanted to know if the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) should have an opinion on this proposal, on which Ms. Castleman pointed out that TAC could not take any decision as the proposal has not been presented to TAC yet. Ms. Dratch expressed that previously TAC was hesitant to support it because it was separating the senior area and marking off more restrictions; and it also depended on if the Select Board would ask for TAC's opinion. Ms. Castleman requested Mr. Jain to send the proposal to TAC. According to Ms. Lyons, the Council on Aging (COA) met twice with the Parking Management Group. It is anticipated that the COA will return with their modified parking proposal for seniors, as the Parking Management Group is authorized by the Select Board to make the first determination of it. The current Parking Management scheme follows the differential pricing where the most expensive spaces are in the most desirable locations and gets cheaper as it gets distant from the Center. However, there is a provision of getting 20 free minutes by pushing a button in the parking meters on Mass. Ave. According to Ms. Lyons, the pricing is the way parking is managed and if the pricing is not taken into consideration, the parking will clog up in the most desirable spaces. Although bus commuters, people with strollers, and others were briefly considered a break, the group adopted a policy in which no one was given a break in order to maximize the benefits for everyone. Welcome of Ms. Thompson: Ms. Castleman welcomed Ms. Thompson as it was her first meeting as a liaison representing the Planning Board, since she got elected as a member of the Planning Board in March 2021. Ms. Thompson was interested in understanding the traffic and parking issues being discussed. Ms. Barrett conveyed to Ms. Thompson that it would be helpful if TAC could get information about new developments being made and it would be beneficial to see the agreements in terms of traffic mitigation. Ms. Barrett recommended Ms. Thompson to look at the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan as it covers all the different aspects of the development that affects the traffic, parking, bus riding, single occupancy vehicles, access to bus stops, and amenities to biking and walking etc. It will give an idea regarding the scope of things when looked at for planning or zoning changes; or other things that affect surroundings. MBTA Update by Ms. Barret: Ms. Barrett shared the results of the "Lex Lights the Night" post event survey. This event was organized on March 121h and had 602 participants from 284 households of which 48 of them responded to the survey. The event's focus was to find out the efficacy of the program in raising awareness about the safety issues. The result showed that approximately 44% of people thought it was very effective, 35% of people thought it was somewhat effective, and 20% of people knew all of this before. Around 32% of people said they would be willing to use active transportation, 52% somewhat likely, and 50% not likely, in the survey. Around 37% of people said they would use stickers for.Q u..c F c:. (Dutch Reach has been included in the RMV manual since 2017 where drivers & passengers each use a far hand to open the car-door. This act forces them to swivel and automatically look out at the mirror and easily back for bikes and traffic). Several other questions were included relating to transportation programs in the survey, including any barriers to choosing active transportation the Town should know about. There were some great responses that would be beneficial for the Town to consider. Ms. Barrett also presented slides about Lexington Transportation's May events, which included events like Minuteman Bikeway Clean Up & Beautification, Cycling Basics Skillshare, `Mass. Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day', E-Bike Info Session, Practice Using Bus Bike Racks, Bike Smart, Flat Tire Clinic, National Bike to Work Week, and Becoming a Certified Bike Instructor Info Session etc. Some events will be held virtually, while some will be held in person. Ms. Barrett stressed the need for more certified bike instructors. There was a meeting held for all Lexpress drivers to go over COVID safety protocols and tips for getting the COVID vaccine. Ms. Barrett mentioned about the project kick off with Mobility Management that will be in a week. She reached out to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) service planning team, Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA), 128 Business Council and Middlesex 3 Transportation Management Association, to see if they could have a service planning meeting ahead of the fall to facilitate transfer among the different services. For the summer, MBTA is proposing to keep route 62 & 76 (the combined route) and will increase the frequency at every 20 minutes during the peak time to accommodate social distancing. Ms. Barrett also mentioned the rail connecting to Lexington is of interest to many people. There is a discussion about migrating from commuter rail to regional rail, meaning moving away from peak time commuting hours to more frequent service throughout the day. This kind of rail service has started in Worcester (runs every 1 hour throughout the day) and Newburyport line (every 30 minutes throughout the day) and might start the Fitchburg line, the one closest to Lexington by 2030 along with electrification of rails in consideration. Other Topics Discussed: • Lexington resident Nagarjuna Venna showed interest in joining TAC. He reflected on his expertise, and that he would be a helpful addition to the team. • Two transportation related books were recommended in the meeting (`Transport for Suburbia' and `The high cost of free parking'). • There was a discussion about adding an additional bus stop to the REV and the process involved to have the stops. Ms. Castleman noted that the Town pays $50K to REV per year for a stop at Lexington Depot which she thought was too high. Ms. Lyons suggested to have an additional stop on Pleasant Street, to which Ms. Barrett responded that the new stop should be complementing the service, not competing with the other services such as the MBTA. • Ms. Lyons shared information regarding her conversation with Sheila Page about how the REV stops at Hartwell Ave, but they are not open to Lexington residents but only to the people who are employed there. Ms. Lyons wanted to explore the possibility for Lexington residents to be able to park in the parking lots of these office areas and get to the REV or possibly get a drop off without using the parking space. • Ms. Castleman questioned if the marketing campaign for the Lexpress and other transportation options available, should be done now or stay on hold until normalcy returns. She discussed TDM where it states that employees are given a choice of receiving a parking space, a cash payment, or some other attractive benefit. This proposal would help if the employee decided not to drive to work, and it would help new places where they want to limit their parking. • Ms. Barrett updated the attendees about the Safe Route to School team who would like to go ahead of the curve on the new design of the High School, to make sure that it is designed for walkers, bikers and transit users. This team is interested in encouraging students to walk and bike to school as congestion is a huge issue. • The discussion was over the transportation component of the Comprehensive Plan and was suggested that the Comprehensive Plan be updated to include new things that are underway like the 2040 Plan, more sidewalks, more bus shelters, shoveling of bus stops, age friendly transportation services, more investment in basic infrastructure and parking etc. The emphasis was on doing things holistically to better our transportation needs. Future Meetings: It was agreed that TAC would meet on May 41 2021 from 7-9 p.m. Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:58 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Vinita Verma Approved: