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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-10-30-TAC-min Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes October 30, 2017 Members Present: Bill Levison, Co-Chair; Hank Manz, Co-Chair; Sally Castleman; Sara Arnold; Susan Barrett Members absent: Elaine Dratch, Su Shen Staff: Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services Director Liaison: Bob Creech, Planning Board The meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM in Room 245 of the Community Center. There was no public comment. On a motion made and seconded, minutes of the previous meeting on 9/11/2017 were unanimously approved by those present. Transportation Update presented by Ms. Rodgers Recruitment Process for New Transportation Director: Ms. Rodgers reported that assembling a good pool of applicants has been more difficult than usual, but there are four or five applicants who will go through a screening process to see if they are qualified to go before a hiring panel. A representative hiring panel is being formed. Because this is a management position, there will be an interview with the Town Manager as part of the process. The goal is to have the panel assembled and in operation by Thanksgiving. One or two committee members will be included on the interview panel. Taxi Program: Human Services is collaborating with Lex Eat Together on Wednesday evenings from November 15th to March 14th to use the Lex Connect taxi vendor to serve those attending the weekly event who need transportation. The usual number of attendees is 65-85. Checker Cab: This vendor is working out very well. Business has doubled for Q1 of this year. As this program is gift funded staff is watching the budget carefully as the program gains popularity. Lexpress: Transportation Assistant Michelle Kelleher and Ms. Rodgers are working on the required Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) report. One of the new buses is down and was reportedly sent back to the factory for repair. The bike racks and GPS units were not in operation on the first day of service for the new buses, but they were operational the next day. Lexpress Free Friday and Saturday: The event was held on September 26th and 27th. The number of riders who took advantage on Friday and Saturday, respectively, were: Adults 46 29 Student 152 19 Senior 122 35 Under Age 6 1 11 High School Meetings and Back-to-School Nights: Ms. Rodgers reported that Ms. Kelleher attended the High School event for new students and reported there were 10 people who stopped to ask questions. Ms. Barrett, Ms. Arnold, Ms. Castleman, and Mr. Levison described their experiences at Back-To-School Nights. There was a general feeling that the presentations were both helpful and well received. Having a chance to speak instead of just sitting at a table was thought to be very helpful. Flexpass Discussion. Ms. Rodgers questioned why Flexpass usage should be restricted before 3:30 PM. The original idea was that students could take the school bus before 3:30 PM, plus there was concern about overloading the 2-3 PM buses. Ridership patterns appear to have changed and overcrowding may no longer be an issue. Ms. Rodgers also suggested increasing the price of the Flexpass to $75. A one-page overview of ridership was distributed along with a multipage review. Professional Transportation Planning : With encouragement from the Town Manager, Ms. Rodgers is requesting $25,000 in the budget to fund a consultant to bring together a general transportation plan. Committee members expressed some concern that this amount may not be adequate and encouraged Ms. Rodgers to explore the issue with other staff members who may have some expertise. State funding via a grant is also being explored. Discussion Regarding the Use of TDM Funds: Mr. Levison distributed a two page paper outlining two methods for generating the amount TAC should recommend be withdrawn from the Transportation Demand Management/Public Transportation Stability Fund to support transportation needs. One method provides a fixed percentage of the bus contract cost for the next fiscal year as long as sufficient funds are available. The other combines the annual contributions anticipated for the remainder of the current fiscal year with a fixed percentage of the current value of the Fund. Committee members expressed support for the second method, which would both extend the life of the Fund and provide less year-to-year variation in the amount of the recommended withdrawal. On that basis, Ms. Arnold moved that TAC recommends $94,000 to be withdrawn from the Transportation Demand Management/Public Transportation Stability Fund to support Lexington's FY19 transportation needs. The motion was seconded and adopted unanimously by those present and voting. (Mr. Manz was not present of the vote.) Economic Development Involvement: Sparked by a discussion about the REV Bus and the way it is being funded, Ms. Rodgers suggested that we hear from Economic Development about the REV and the plans surrounding the funding and use of the service. A representative will be invited to attend the next meeting. One intriguing question is where the "REV" in REV Bus comes from. Remote Participation: Mr. Manz noted that the rules for remote participation of public meetings have been relaxed by the state and the Town is planning changes to incorporate the new state rules. Those new rules were presented to the Board of Selectmen at their last meeting. Next Meeting: Because of the October meeting occurring late in the month and scheduling constraints, the Committee agreed to cancel the November meeting and meet next on December 4th at the Community Center. Materials presented at the meeting: Agenda • Minutes of September 11, 2017 meeting • Lex Eat Together/Human Services information flyer • One page Lexpress Ridership Review • Multipage Lexpress Ridership Review • Report covering TDM Withdrawal Strategies Approved