HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-01-14-TAC-min Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes
January 14, 2019
7:00 p.m. Lexington Community Center, Room 245
Members Present: Andra Bennett, Co-Chair; Sara Arnold, Sally Castleman, Elaine Dratch;
Vinita Verma
Members Absent: Hank Manz, Chair
Liaisons: Bob Creech, Planning Board; Sudhir Jain (COA)
Staff: Susan Barrett
Guest: Chuck French
The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:10 p.m.
Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the December 10, 2018 Minutes.
VOTE: 5-0
The Town of Lexington received about $12,000 for its 2017 TNC (Transportation Network
Companies) disbursement. . The amount is dependent on how many people use TNC (i.e.
Uber/Lyft) services. This was the first year the legislation went into effect. Due to timing, we
received the funds in late spring and they had to be officially allocated in the fall town meeting.
.20 cents is charged to each ride and the originating Towns receive half of this. How a town
uses it is up to the Town, but it has to be used to offset the negative impacts of TNCs (i.e.
Complete Streets, promotion of public transport, walking, biking, etc.). The Town of Lexington,
for this first year determined that it would hold the money for one of the following: services
related to the Transit Study and/or active transportation. Given the small amount, it is difficult to
make a big impact on reducing the negative impacts of TNCs, so the Town went with two ideas
thought to have the most impact within the allotted funds. Ms. Barrett sent a report to sent a
report to the State regarding how the fund will be used for the transit study. This report was due
December 31St. TNC disbursement funds will be received for a total of 10 years.
Tri Town Transit Update: The draft of report was presented by Ms. Barrett in pdf format
(around 200 pages long). Foursquare noted that there are still corrections that need to be made
to the report as it does not include factors like administrative costs and it does not reflect more
accurate costs for microtransit that were gathered at a meeting held the same day of this draft,
etc. The draft was presented on January 7th. Town Managers of Bedford, Burlington, and
Lexington, and related staff, met with Via & Foursquare on January 7th. The Town Managers
and related staff are seeking a peer review of the Transit Study to see if there are any options
that should be taken into consideration.
Based on the transit study, three options were identified. The DRAFT recommendations as of
January 7th were for the Tri-Towns to#1) have a streamlined, shared fixed route service of 8
routes: 6 in Lexington, 1 in Bedford, 1 in Burlington. All routes would connect at Burlington Mall,
and Lexington will retain a connecting point at Lexington Depot. #2) The next recommendation
was that we maintain a safety net service. For Lexington, this is currently our LexConnect
service, however, in its current format, it is not just a safety net, but rather a service for anyone
age 60 and over, so policies would need to be rethought for this purpose. #3) The final
recommendation is to consider a microtransit pilot. A suggested area for testing microtransit
was included in the recommendations and includes a portion of each of the three towns. The
pilot could be done at the same time as other transportation services are provided or could be
offered after other services end.
This type of service can be used by students and others, and this is a common request of
employers in the hospitality and retail sectors because it is hard for them to recruit employees
when they have limited transportation.
Efficiency & Regionalization (E&R) Grant Prosect: The 3 Towns (Lexington, Burlington and
Bedford) met with Via and Foursquare on January 7t". The time with Via was spent inquiring
about its services and its work processes. New information included how its drivers were paid.
We learned that its drivers rented the Via vehicles and kept the earnings after the rental fee.
This averaged about $15/hr. However, its drivers were not provided insurance or benefits. There
are multiple drivers and depending on their availability and interest, they can rent a vehicle on
any particular day. If there are not enough drivers, they call in other drivers. If needed, they can
contact other TNCs for assistance. They are 1099 contract drivers and not employees of any
entity. They do not have to abide by FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
standards, which among other things, limits the amount of hours a driver can drive in a day.
Lexpress: Please see monthly ridership reports. We have recently had an issue of some abuse
of the Flexpass with students using it to get to school and at other times before 3 PM. We
recently sent reminders through the school, and drivers have been directed to give handouts.
Drivers have stated that the handouts have helped.
Lex-Connect: Based on current revenue and expenses to-date, if everything remains steady,
we will end the year with about $3K or so to rollover. We had a healthier balance to start the last
year. Note that this does not include administrative costs. Those are just absorbed by the Town.
Bike Walk Bus Week/Active Transportation Planning: 1St meeting of the year will be on
Friday, 1/18/19.
MBTA System Wide Accessibility: The Town Transportation Manager will participate in a new
MBTA group to look at system-wide accessibility issues. This group will discuss MBTA and Ride
service as it relates to accessibility. First meeting is end of February.
TDM: Future TDM agreements should be created in consultation with the Transportation
Department as past agreements have included items that are not realistic, such as having to
extend service to a property without getting the funding to do so. Ms. Barrett would like to see
the process improved.
Other: Summer Camp Open House at Community Center on Saturday, 1/26. Transportation will
have a table. This is for parents and also for high school students looking for jobs/volunteering.
Commission on Disability meeting on Thursday, 2/7. Susan will be there to discuss
transportation.
Incoming high school families info sessions will occur in February. Transportation has been
invited to speak at multiple events.
Bob Creech, Planning Board invited everyone to attend February 12th workshop which will focus
on comprehensive plan for the Town of Lexington.
March 18th is Transit Driver Appreciation Day!
September 2019 is 40th anniversary of Lexpress!
Next TAC meeting is scheduled for February 11th.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55PM
Respectfully Submitted,
Vinita Verma
Approved
Materials presented at the meeting:
• Agenda for meeting
• TAC Meeting Schedule
• Lexpress Summary Report Ridership/Revenue for October&November 2018