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Home My WebLink About2025-12-09-TAC-min.pdf December 9, 2025 Minutes Transportation Advisory Committee Town of Lexington, Massachusetts Location: Pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, the meeting was held remotely by Zoom teleconferencing session open to the public following updated guidance posted by the Office of the Attorney General. Agenda: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12092025-3512 Scheduled time: 7:00 pm Members Present: Kunal Botla (chair), Pamela Lyons (vice-chair), Jeremy Bowman, and Keshav Krishna. A quorum was present throughout the meeting. All votes were taken by a roll call vote. Members Absent: James Luker, Sally Castleman, Nishanth Veeragandham (secretary). Others Present: Tina McBride, Tom Shiple, Bobak Moshiri. Kunal Botla called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm and read the remote meeting authorization statement. Kunal confirmed attendance by roll call; all attending remotely. Call to Order & Public Comment Bobak Moshiri urged more pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements such as sidewalks or advisory lanes, especially near schools, and supported traffic calming consistent with Lexington’s family‑oriented character. No further public comments were made. No emails or messages to note. Review and Approve Meeting Minutes Mr. Botla noted that some minutes have been drafted and sent to the Town Clerk, while others still need to be created from notes, recordings, and transcripts. Ms. Lyons volunteered to draft the oldest outstanding set of minutes; other members may help with additional sets. Mr. Botla agreed to circulate the minutes template and confirmed he was taking the minutes for this meeting. Chair’s Update and Coordination Meeting minutes and secretary Mr. Botla reviewed the minutes format: header, members present/absent, staff and liaisons, call‑to‑order and adjournment times, agenda headings with brief summaries, and a list of materials used. Draft minutes will go first to Susan Barrett, Mr. Botla, and the vice chair, then to the full committee, with a final version filed by the secretary with the Town Clerk. Ms. Lyons suggested putting all votes in bold to make them easy to find; members agreed to keep simple versioned documents rather than using tracked changes. Because Nishi has left the committee, a new secretary must be chosen, and members were asked to consider taking on this role. Committee opening and liaisons Mr. Botla reported that Nishi’s departure also created a vacancy; the Select Board will advertise the opening in its next appointment cycle, and members were encouraged to recruit interested residents. Mr. Botla described listing liaisons in minutes and noted that Greenways Corridor is interested in sending a liaison to the Transportation Advisory Committee. Coordinated Meeting with Other Boards and Committees The committee discussed reviving coordinated meetings with other transportation‑ and sustainability‑related boards, noting past meetings generated ideas but lacked clear follow‑up and priorities. Mr. Bowman suggested using the committee’s to‑do list to identify where help is needed and reaching out directly to other boards, even when the correct contact is not obvious. Potential topics for a joint meeting include: updating bus shelter and stop prioritization (last updated around 2019–2020), obtaining current MBTA stop‑usage data from Ms. Barrett, and exploring a “getting around Lexington” map that shows buses, shuttles, bike paths, bike parking, and key destinations. Lexpress Update In Ms. Barrett’s absence, Ms. Lyons read Ms. Barrett’s written Lexpress update. ● New Lexpress buses are expected in service by late December or early January; Ms. Barrett will work with the Department of Public Works on fueling as the service moves to town‑supplied fuel. ● Under the new contract, the hourly rate to the contractor will stay the same, but the town’s effective cost will be lower because fuel is handled separately. ● For Fiscal Year 2027 (starting July 1), Lexpress operations are projected to rise by under 2 percent; an apparent 14 percent increase in the operations line item versus FY26 is mostly due to FY26 grants that reduced that year ’s appropriation. ● The MBTA has approved use of the Arlington Heights busway as a turnaround for Route C, which should shorten running times; Ms. Barrett will begin outreach and schedule updates. ● Members discussed ideas to increase youth ridership, including a Lexpress “scavenger hunt” for students with prizes such as passes or model buses. Mr. Botla explained that Lexpress will remain largely a flag service, but some locations (Town Center, Burlington Mall, Lahey, and the Lowell Street affordable housing development) are or will be fixed stops, and that more defined stops are helpful for real‑time tracking and coordination with MBTA stops. Planning Board/Zoning Board Applications and Policies Mr. Botla reported that no applications are currently at the stage where the Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing and requested Transportation Advisory Committee comments; 16 Clark Street has not yet been formally filed. The Committee set a guideline to comment on filed projects in 2024. Planning Board member Tina McBride reported two recent residential filings: 114 Wood Street (a special residential development of about 19 units) and 475 Bedford Street (redevelopment of the former Boston Sports Club site with about 150 condominiums), expected to reach the Planning Board in January. Mr. Botla confirmed that the committee focuses on projects listed as current with scheduled hearing dates, and Mr. Bowman urged the committee to be ready with positions on issues such as building height and density near historic areas. Liaison Reports Transportation Manager Ms. Barrett was not present. Updates were made earlier. Bicycle Advisory Committee Tom Shiple reported positive feedback on the temporary bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue and said the town is talking with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority about keeping the lanes after utility work. Mr. Shiple raised safety concerns about high‑powered electric “e‑bike” style vehicles used by teenagers on streets and paths; education and enforcement efforts are underway with the Police Department and families. Mr. Shiple also described a Bicycle Advisory Committee inventory of bike racks at municipal sites; the data have gone to Recreation staff, and further analysis and recommendations are planned. Mr. Shiple presented the “edge lane road” concept: a single center lane for cars with dashed edge lanes reserved primarily for people walking and biking. He shared examples from several communities, including a pilot on Farrar Road in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where the treatment was extended after a successful trial. Reported benefits include lower speeds, more comfort for people walking and biking on narrow roads where sidewalks are not feasible, and lower costs than building sidewalks; however, Lexington’s Town Engineer has concerns about using this treatment on curved roads with limited sight lines. Mr. Shiple asked members to suggest candidate streets, such as Woburn Street, Lowell Street, and Reed Street, for possible future evaluation. Select Board Mr. Botla reported on behalf of Select Board member Vinita Kumar, who is out of the country due to a death in the family and expected to return soon. The Select Board is focused on the budget, citizens’ petition deadlines, the Annual Town Election, and a recently held ballot measure; transportation items will be relayed by staff as needed. Planning Board Ms. McBride stated that the next Planning Board meeting will cover several subdivision hearings on Massachusetts Avenue, Bedford Street, and Reed Street, along with possible zoning warrant articles. Zoning topics include updates to the accessory dwelling unit bylaw to match new state rules, changes to special residential development provisions, rounding rules in village districts, and technical corrections. Transportation Safety Group In the absence of TSG representative Jay Luker, Mr. Botla summarized Mr. Luker’s written update. At Forest Street and Muzzy Street, a consultant recommended an all‑way stop, signage changes, and possibly removing one parking space; the Transportation Safety Group supports the all‑way stop but not removing parking. At Forest Street and Clark Street, the consultant opposed an all‑way stop and suggested moving parking and adding warning signs; the Transportation Safety Group instead favors pursuing an all‑way stop to preserve parking. For Walnut Street, the Transportation Safety Group prefers raised median islands and transverse markings; vertical measures like speed tables may work but need more discussion with the Fire Department about emergency response impacts. Student Liaison Mr. Botla noted the committee is still seeking a student liaison and invited referrals to himself and Ms. Lyons. Mr. Krishna commented that many student riders on Route B use Lexpress to reach Burlington Mall and suggested MBTA‑style neighborhood maps at key nodes and at some Lexpress locations. Council on Aging Sudhir Jain was absent and provided no written report. Adjournment With no further business, Mr. Botla announced the next regular meeting would be on the second Tuesday in January. Mr. Botla moved to adjourn, Ms. Lyons seconded, and the motion passed 4–0 by roll‑call vote (Ms. Lyons, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Krishna, and Mr. Botla in favor). The meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM. Documents Referenced 1. Agenda, Transportation Advisory Committee, Town of Lexington ○ On file with the Town Clerk Respectfully submitted, Kunal Botla, Chair