HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-07-08-TAC-min Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes
July 08, 2019
Members Present: Sara Arnold (chaired the meeting), Elaine Dratch, Sally Castleman, Andra
Bennett
Members Absent: Hank Manz, Vinita Verma
Staff: Susan Barrett
Liaisons: Sudhir Jain (COA)
Others Present: Mr. and Mrs. Lucas
The meeting was called to order at 7:09 PM in Room 245 of the Community Center.
Minutes from March and May were voted 4-0.
Public comment:
Mr. and Mrs. Lucas joined the TAC meeting to express their interest in a public
transportation option from Lexington Center to Boston Downtown. The length of this commute
has worsened over the years as the traffic is becoming heavier. The Alewife garage fills up
quickly in the morning, and the Alewife redline does not help everyone.
Ms. Castleman remembered that express buses to downtown existed before but the cost
had become prohibitive (fares are not sufficient to fund the bus, so subsidies are needed). Mr.
and Mrs. Lucas remarked that from a cost perspective having a non-stop option to commute to
Downtown Boston could be compared to the expensive parking cost in the downtown garages.
Transportation Study Peer Review
Committee commented on the negative tone of the peer review on the transportation
study, based on the data collected and consultant's biased recommendation toward
microtransit. Given the constraints of the RFP, the peer review recommendations were deemed
more appropriate. Committee encouraged Ms. Barrett to follow up with FourSquare and ask if
they can provide a set of recommendations for Lexington only.
Changes to the Lexpress schedule are inevitable for the 2020-2021 school year as the
school start time change requires an updated integration of services. Budgeting/planning for the
service changes will begin in August.
Transportation Update presented by Ms. Barrett
Ms. Barrett presented updates on a few successful Lexpress training/info sessions, with
additional scheduled dates for the fall.
Ms. Barrett also informed the committee of an initiative launched by MBTA to pursue
transit pilot studies. Proposals are due September 15th and the scope can vary from new routes to
modifications to existing routes and schedules.
There were also a couple of updates from a financial perspective. Lexpress will receive
$2,875 from the Dana Home Foundation to offset the cost of annual subsidized senior Lexpress
passes. Lex-Connect has been running at the same cost as previous years.
The peer review team has suggested that the TDM process should be revised. For
accommodating the Manor Terrace contract an understanding has been reached to allow on-
demand pull-ins until further service changes are settled.
Lexpress 40th anniversary is planned for September 21st 2019, from 11AM-12:OOPM at
Emery Park, with Community Center as the rain location.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:45PM.
Materials presented at the meeting:
• Agenda
• Minutes of March 2019 meeting
• Minutes of May 2019 meeting
Respectfully Submitted,
Andra Bennett
Approved