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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-06-TAC-minSeptember 6, 2022 (7 pm) Minutes Transportation Advisory Committee Town of Lexington Place:The meeting was held remotely pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 and its extension according to provisions of Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Executive Order. The Zoom teleconferencing session was open to the public. Scheduled time:7 pm Members Present:Vinita Verma (chair), Pamela Lyons (co-chair), Kunal Botla, Elaine Dratch, Sally Castleman. Members Absent:Andra Bennett. Liaisons Present:Sudhir Jain, Council on Aging; Susan Barrett, Town Transportation Manager. Liaisons Absent:Melanie Thompson, Planning Board;Suzie Barry, Select Board. Others Present:Nishanth Veerangandham. Ms. Lyons reviewed the authorization for meeting remotely and noted that the meeting was being called to order at 7:05 pm. Ms. Verma confirmed attendance by roll call. Andra Bennett informed the Committee that she would be leaving the Transportation Advisory Committee. We thank Ms. Bennett for her work with the Committee. Public Input There were no public comments. Minutes A Motion was made and seconded to approve the July 12, 2022 draft Minutes. In a roll-call vote, the motion passed: 5 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstention. Annual Report A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Transportation Advisory Committee’s draft Annual Report. In a roll-call vote, the motion passed: 5 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstention. Liaison Updates ●Council on Aging, Sudhir Jain:A survey was conducted on behavioral health and found damages from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council on Aging was asked for help since the survey was not getting high participation. TAC was asked to inform Mr. Jain of potential solutions. ●Planning Board, Melanie Thompson:Ms. Thompson was not present. ●Select Board, Suzie Barry:Ms. Barry was not present. Transportation Manager’s Update ●Ms. Barrett informed TAC that department budgets were due soon. She shared multiple potential budget workbooks for Lexpress offering estimates for maintaining current service, increasing fixed route service, adding on-demand services, and exclusively on-demand services. ●Ms. Barrett presented details about potential technology and fare solutions for Lexpress. ○Mr. Botla asked about using CharlieCards for Lexpress service to create better integration with MBTA and other regional services. He was informed by Ms. Barrett about the high costs for fareboxes accepting CharlieCards. ●Reducing ridership was discussed and solutions including advertising at Lexington High School and creating a marketing budget. ○Mr. Veerangandham suggested that TAC help create material to be shared with students during weekly advisory meetings. Comprehensive Plan (LexingtonNext) ●Discussed suggestions for the Transportation section of Lexington’s draft Comprehensive Plan created as a combined document of TAC member ’s comments, by Mr. Botla. Ms. Verma sent the document to the Planning Director, Abby McCabe. ●TAC members were informed that the Final Draft of the Comprehensive Plan will be presented to the Planning Board on Wednesday, September 28th at 6 pm via Zoom. Future Meetings A regular meeting was scheduled for October 11, 2022. A special meeting before the Planning Board’s meeting was discussed and determined to be scheduled by email. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:59 pm. Respectfully submitted, Kunal Botla