2010-06-21-TAC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Transportation Advisory Committee Date: June 21, 2010 Members Present: Sara Arnold, Sally Castleman, Elaine Dratch, Bill Levison, Peter Levy, Francine Stieglitz. Members Absent: Larry Link, Danny Moraff Liaisons: Nancy Adler- COA and Richard Canale- Planning Board Staff: Gail Wagner Minutes from TAC Meeting of May 20, 2010 approved. Senior Transportation Forum 6/8/10 ➢ A panel of speakers representing TAC, FISH, MBTA- the RIDE, and Lexpress spoke to an audience of approximately 50. Audience questions covered diverse topics such as bike racks on Lexpress, MBTA and Lexpress route questions, RIDE application procedures, more transit schedules available at COA, extending services in evenings and weekends, and guidance for seniors when to stop driving. ➢ Briana Olson of the Town Manger's Office is still collecting surveys and will compile responses. TAC members were encouraged to take the survey available online. ➢ Nancy Adler explained that this was the first in a series of COA transportation discussions. She was pleased to see the audience was broader than the customary COA core participants. MA Revised Open Meeting Law ➢ Purpose is to make public meetings open to the public. It is scheduled to take effect July 1, but a more realistic date is November 1. There are many aspects that require clarification. ➢ Highlights: Committee quorum cannot deliberate outside of posted public meetings. This prohibits committee email exchanges on matters of discussion. If a report is distributed, comments are to be held until a posted meeting is conducted. Sub committees are held to the same standard. Upon informing a convened committee, a member of the public can tape/ video any posted meeting. All persons are to be recognized by the chair prior to speaking. ➢ Penalties for violating the Open Meeting Law range from added training for an honest mistake to a $1,000 fine levied against the Town for a blatant mistake. Hartwell Ave TMOD ➢ The consultants' plan emphasize road infrastructure, such as center median on Bedford Street to limit left turns and roundabouts to promote directional traffic flow. Public concerns as to pedestrian, bike safety and public transit have not received adequate answers to date. ➢ The design phase is estimated to cost the town $1.4 million, but the traffic mitigation fees will be based on a cost of $2.1 million to allow for contingencies. State and federal funds to pay for construction. ➢ Hartwell Ave current occupancy level is less than 50 %. ➢ TDM proposal is for developer to may $20 per worker per year to fund a new TMA. This fee can be reduced to as little as $10 per worker if the peak hour trip generation rate falls below 1.0 trip per thousand square feet of occupied floor area. ➢ TDM proposal raised the following concerns: no detailed plan to reduce SOV usage; adequacy of TMA funding; monitoring of SOV reduction measures; $20 or less per annual payment per worker not seen as a significant incentive for SOV reductions; ➢ Specificity as found with infrastructure plans is lacking in the TDM aspects.