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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-12-14-TAC-minDRAFT Meeting Minutes Transportation Advisory Committee December 14, 2015 The meeting was called to order at 3:20 PM. Members present: Hank Manz, Co- Chair, Sara Arnold, Sally Castleman, Elaine Dratch, Francine Stieglitz, Craig Weeks Members Absent: Bill Levison, TAC Co -Chair Liaison Present: Rich McDonough, Council on Aging Staff: Jeanette Rebecchi, Manager of Transportation Services, Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services Director Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the November 9th Minutes. The motion passed: 4 -0 (Ms. Dratch and Mr. Weeks arrived after the vote was taken.) Transportation Systems Update: Ms. Rebecchi reported that Brookhaven at Lexington had responded positively to a letter from Mr. Levison requesting a donation for Lexpress. They will be submitting $1000. It was generally agreed that there is a value in sending an annual request. Ms. Rebecchi reported that Lexpress service stops after completing the 3:30 p.m. trips on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Lexpress Transfers: Ms. Rebecchi reviewed her proposal to eliminate the transfer fee starting in Fiscal Year 2017. The revenue generated is approximately $380 a year. Tracking transfers is time consuming and not cost effective. A motion was made and seconded to support a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen that transfers be issued without charging a fee. The motion passed 5 -0 (Mr. Weeks arrived after the vote was taken.) Lexpress Data Collection: Ms. Rebecchi reported that the Routes 1 and 2 passenger counts collected by committee members on November 6th were consistently close or the same as those reported by the drivers on those routes. It was generally agreed that this effort increases confidence in the passenger counts reported by the drivers. To further verify, Ms. Rebecchi agreed to look at whether those passenger counts were consistent with Routes 1 and 2 ridership when different drivers were collecting the data. There was discussion about technology that would improve data collection and be far more efficient. Ms. Rebecchi reported that a funding request was submitted for providing drivers with tablets to collect the data. There would be a purchasing cost (currently estimated at approximately $1000) and an annual fee for a consultant to run the program (currently estimated at approximately $2000). Mr. Manz noted the ease of creating a program on a tablet that identifies where passengers get on and off the bus. Time -of -Day Lexpress Route Modifications: On November 6th, committee members observed that the Route 1 & 2 driver was not able to cover all of the late afternoon routes, primarily because of northbound commuter traffic on Waltham St., and Ms. Rebecchi commented that this is a regular problem It was noted that adding service to the Community Center to Routes 1 and 2 in the early summer increased the length of those routes, and parent - generated traffic in and out of Clarke Middle School (Clarke) is a significant contributor to the problem. Ms. Rebecchi provided a graph showing on -time performance for Routes 1 and 2 during the month of October. She noted that Routes 3 & 4 experience similar problems. There was considerable discussion about how to address the traffic issue. It was agreed that the following steps would be pursued: • Mr. Manz and Mr. Weeks will meet with Ms. Rebecchi to try and develop options to consider, such as decreasing the length of the routes, running routes that take more than 30 minutes, and /or reversing the direction taken by the Route 2 bus. • Elaine Celi, Transportation Coordinator for the School Department, will be invited to a TAC meeting. • Ms. Rebecchi will distribute a survey in January to the Clarke community to better understand their transportation needs. Student Ridership Promotion: Mr. Manz reported having reached out to high school students to determine their interest in working on Lexpress issues. He has identified five students with whom he hopes to meet to discuss having a Lexpress student advisory group. Hopefully more students will become interested and one of the students becomes interested in attending TAC meetings. Committee members expressed appreciation for Mr. Manz's efforts. Future Meetings: It was decided that the next meeting would be on Monday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m. At that time, there can be further discussion about day of week and time for future meetings. On a motion duly made, seconded, and unanimously approved, the meeting was adjourned at 4:45 PM. Prepared by: Sara Arnold Materials used at the meeting • Agenda • Minutes of the November 9, 2015 meeting • Bus Log with on/off data for Routes 1 & 2, November 6, 2016, 6:35 a.m.- 9:00 a.m., prepared by Mr. Manz • Graph: Lexpress Routes 1 & 2 On -time Performance, October 2015, prepared by Ms. Rebecchi • Memo: Lexpress Transfer Policy; from Ms. Rebecchi to Ms. Rodgers, 12/9/15