HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-16-TAC-min
Minutes for TAC Meetfng (Virtual)
3/16/23
Present: Vinita Verma, Chair, Pam Lyons, Co-Chair, Kunal Botla, Sally Castleman
Absent: Mark Andersen, Elaine Dratch, Jonathan Schwarz
Staff absent: Susan Barrett, Transportatfon Manager (on vacatfon)
Liaisons present: Nishanth Veeragandham, Student Representatfve
Liaisons absent: Suzie Barry, Select Board; Melanie Thompson, Planning Board; Sudhir Jain, COA
The meetfng was called to order by Ms Verma at 7:04 PM.
The statute permitting virtual meetfngs was read by Ms Lyons.
Public Comments
Mr. Botla informed the committee that he has been collectfng a list of people in town who have an
interest in transportatfon and he already has 230 people on the list.
Approval of Minutes
There were unanimous yes votes to approve the minutes from February 28.
Implementation/A dministration for our Recommended Pass Plan
Elaine had asked what will happen when the buses are over-crowded and we can't carry everyone. The
answers were as follows:
we leave people behind
we can use that as a case for needing more money for better and more frequent coverage
we will need to take photos and use the overcrowded situatfons as leverage. We will need to do
this immediately because undoubtedly the overcrowding will stop, as riders realize they need to
find other means, and then we won't have the opportunity to graphically make our point.
If we have improved technology, we may be able to get informatfon immediately, and we can
inform the Select Board from that
We can e-mail those turned away to invite them back, if we get bigger and better the following year
Status of the letter sent from TAC to the Select Board? The Select Board will not take it up untfl after
Town Meetfng, probably early May.
Where will we sell the passes?
At the Town Office Building, at the Community Center, and online.
At the last meetfng the idea was suggested to print stfckers, in place of passes, for students to
stfck on their Charlie cards or student ID's, and others too may want a stfcker instead of a card,
to put on their gym card, their Community Center pass, or whatever.
We could also have someone go to Brookhaven, the Avalons, etcetera (dense places) to sell
passes at a pre-arranged and advertfsed tfme. Sean Duggan can email people, the notfce can go
in newsletters and posted at the places we would go.
We could also have a partfcular afternoon at the high school: “Pick up your Charlie Card and
Lexpress Pass.” Mr. Veeragandham said they often set up a lunch table for things like that.
It was suggested that we make the passes visually appealing and probably smaller than they have been
in the past.
Should we sell something that’s a little memorabilia item?
Should we make (other) stfckers of Lexpress to give away, like Ms Barrett made a few years ago, and like
Rancatore's has been doing? If students put them on things, it would actually publicize the buses.
Will the stfckers and or the passes be scannable? May not be with the technology that Ms Barrett is
looking at.
Report on the Ad Hoc Committee Meeting
Ms Castleman reported that The Northeastern students have started dividing up the tasks under
different categories that had been established by a meetfng of three members, and they have begun
their research. They need to have completed their work by the end of April. The committee members are
supposed to sign up for working in whichever categories appeal. Mr. Botla, who also had attended the
meetfng, displayed a document showing the divisions.
In answer to a questfon, Ms Castleman reported that the members are by-and-large not well-versed on
Lexpress or even what other transportatfon serves Lexington. Without any research or knowledge, many
have come in with set ideas of what they want the recommendatfons to be. (Ms Lyons’ comment was
that “people are in fantasyland about transportatfon. Really, a bus is a bus!”) The Chair wants a joint
meetfng with TAC and that's a good sign.
Mr. Botla suggested if we did have a joint meetfng with the Ad Hoc Committee we might present our
universal goals and maybe even split some of the work. He also suggested that we get [at least the chair
of] the Sustainability Committee involved for that meetfng. We all agreed we should have more
connectfon/communicatfon with the Sustainability Committee anyway, although we made no plan to
advance that idea.
Liaison Reports
Mr. Veeragandham reported that the data collectfon project at the high school is targeted towards
spring.
Mr. Botla gave a short update on the status of happenings at the MBTA.
Next meeting
The next meetfng was set for Tuesday, April 11th. As far as any of us has heard, the meetfng will need to
be in person.
The meetfng adjourned at 8:14.
Respectiully submitted,
Sally Castleman