HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-04-07-TAC-min
Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes
April 7, 2014
Members Present
: Elaine Dratch, Sara Arnold, Peter Levy, Francine Stieglitz, Sally
Castleman
Members Absent
: Bill Levison, Michael Boudet, Matt Zhang
Staff Present
: Jeanette Rebecchi, Transportation Manager
Liaisons
: none
1.Review Minutes of Previous Meetings
Minutes from January 13, 2014 Meeting
Minutes were reviewed and unanimously accepted
o
Minutes from February 3, 2014 Meeting
Minutes were reviewed and unanimously accepted
o
Minutes from March 31, 2014 Meeting
Minutes were reviewed and unanimously accepted with one grammatical
o
correction
2.Transportation Systems Update
No update at this meeting
3.Meeting with consulting firm on Center Parking
At the request of David Kucharski, Mr. Levy met with a representative from the
consulting firm Nelson/Nygaard (http://www.nelsonnygaard.com/) to answer
questions about the Center Parking study being performed for the Town. The
consultant indicated that the study was nearing completion and recommendations
from the study would be made to the Town shortly. Mr. Levy indicated that
accommodations for the Lexpress stop at the Depot should not be forgotten and
that future enhancements might include electronic displays of bus locations.
The Nelson/Nygaard representative also met with Ms. Rebecchi, primarily to
offer consulting services such as route planning and general strategic advice. The
consulting firm indicated that their services are often accessed through grant
money.
4.Town Meeting Activities Relevant to Transportation
The TAC statement concerning Warrant Article 24 was agreed upon at the March
31 meeting. One of the TAC members who is also a Town Meeting Member will
read the statement when the Article is discussed at Town Meeting (expected to be
th
on April 9). In response to a question from Bijan Afshartous, it was noted that
the statement expresses support of Article 24.
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5.School Transportation and Safety Committee
Ms. Dratch gave an update. The STSC was formed as an ad hoc committee to
address specific school transportation safety issues. The committee is disbanding
(Judy Crocker, head of the committee, has recently been elected as a member of
the School Board). The committee has completed its mission. Among its
accomplishments are:
Agreement from the School Board to implement uniform standards for traffic
o
rules and safety across all schools (principals to comply with School Board
rules)
Application for and receipt of grants to study routing, roadway, and other
o
infrastructure changes to improve traffic flow and safety. Some of these
changes (Clark and Bowman) are scheduled to occur in FY ‘15 and ’16.
Proposals for improvements in Estabrook traffic flow (not finalized).
o
Implementation of specific changes to improve safety and reduce traffic at
o
many of the schools
Institution of funding from the Town to reduce the cost of an annual bus pass
o
to $300 (increased bus ridership)
6.Volunteers for Patriots’ Day Parade
Ms. Rebecchi asked for volunteers to march with the Seniors and the Lexpress
bus at this year’s Parade. Volunteer marchers can board the bus at the Bedford
Street Fire Station at 12:30 on Patriots’ Day. The bus lines up on Mass Ave at
about 1:00 PM. Parade starts at 2:00 PM.
7.Potential Changes to Lexpress Routes 1 & 4
Ms. Rebecchi reviewed the latest versions of Routes 1 and 4 with the Committee.
Regarding Route 1 (which is proposed to travel to Arlington Heights), Ms.
Rebecchi spoke to Mr. Valente and received his approval for the route. Ms.
Rebecchi has also contacted the Arlington Planning Department and the MBTA to
be sure there are no objections or restrictions.
Ms. Rebecchi has received comments on the proposed route changes from about
40 individuals (some at public comment sessions, others by e-mail).
Although Mr. Afshartous was present, there were no public comments about the
route changes made at this meeting (advertised for public comment from 4:00 to
th
4:30). The last day for public input has been advertised as April 25.
The Committee unanimously adopted the following statement about the proposed
route changes:
“We recommend approval by the Board of Selectmen of the suggested route changes
(Version 2, April 2014) barring any changes resulting from additional public input.”
8.Review of TAC Activity List
Ћ
Attend School Safety Committee Mtgs:Complete (committee has disbanded)
Generic Town e-mail Address: Should we use for all formal TAC emails
(minutes, agendas, etc.)?
Community Center Transportation: Explore interaction with appropriate sub-
committees (follow-up with Ms. Rogers). Mr. Levy to contact Technology sub-
committee (Jon Himmel) to ask about displaying GPS & other Lexpress
information on screens at the center.
9.Potential Increases in Lexpress Service
The Committee briefly discussed potential areas where community members have
been asking for increased service.
Ms. Rebecchi agreed to put together some suggestions (based on input received
over the past year) for discussion at a future TAC meeting and for potential
implementation in FY ’16.
Minutes recorded by Peter Levy
Materials Used at the Meeting:
Agenda
January 13, 2014 Minutes
February 3, 2014 Minutes
March 31, 2014 Minutes
TAC FY ’14 Activities List
Route 1 and Route 4 Proposed Changes (maps, Version 2)
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