HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-09-TAC-min DRAFT--Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes
October 7, 2019
7:00 p.m. Town Office Building, Dawes Room
Members Present: Sara Arnold, Sally Castleman; Elaine Dratch; Vinita Verma
Member Absent: Hank Manz, Chair
Liaisons: Sudhir Jain, COA
Staff: Susan Barrett
Guests: Pamela Lyons
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m.
Introductions: Ms. Lyons introduced herself as a resident interested in joining this Committee,
noting that she is on other committees that have relevant/related interests and has always been
a user of public transit. It was agreed that she would discuss this interest with Mr. Manz and
contact the Board of Selectmen's (BoS) office about filing an application.
Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the draft August 26, 2019 Minutes.
VOTE: 4-0
Announcements: Ms. Barrett reported that Todd Rhodes, Vice-Chair, Sustainable Lexington
Committee will be making a presentation at the League of Women Voters First Friday event on
November 1St. Transportation will be an included topic. Ms. Dratch and Ms. Arnold said that they
would try to attend. Ms. Barrett agreed to forward Mr. Rhodes' information collected during a
brainstorming session with committee members regarding transportation.
FY2019 Town Annual Report: Ms. Barrett presented a draft 2 report for this Committee's
consideration. Ms. Castleman recommended changing the order of the bulleted items. A
motion was made and seconded to submit the report to the Town Report Committee after Ms.
Castleman makes her recommended sequence changes. VOTE: 4-0
Letter to MBTA Regarding Recommended Improvements: Ms. Barrett presented a draft
letter to the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board. It was suggested that some wording
be clarified and that this Committee should be recommending that the letter be signed by the
BoS. Ms. Barrett agreed to make the clarification and to discuss process with Mark Sandeen,
BoS liaison to this Committee. A motion was made and seconded to support the letter as
discussed. VOTE: 4-0
Transportation Update: Ms. Barrett reviewed most of the items included in her Transportation
Update handout. Comments beyond those in the handout included, but were not limited to, the
following:
• Transportation signage for the center must be approved by the Lexington Historic
Districts Commission (HDC). The current signage needs to be replaced, which is going
to be pursued, but more expansive signage may not be realistic because of HDC
restrictions.
• Future marketing ideas/plans include: A transportation map/brochure identifying all
options in Lexington; outreach to the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and the
Newcomers Club; visibility at back-to-school nights and Parent Teacher Organizations.
• An origin/destination by time-of-day survey is being distributed by the 128 Business
Council on October 11 to
• Survey Monkey is being used to collect data about the needs of employees who work in
Lexington; some businesses cannot get help in the evenings or weekends due to lack of
transportation opportunities. Data is needed to determine whether a pilot program might
be useful.
• An automatic people counter would improve ridership data; a mechanism that would
count individuals, although not by fare-type, is of interest.
• Lexpress ridership increased in September. Ms. Barrett will email the monthly report.
Ms. Barrett reported on discussions she has had with a variety of groups and staff about
coordinating transportation resources that currently operate independently. She and our
transportation consultants believes that financial resources might be used more efficiently and
effectively if resources were coordinated and integrated, but there are many challenges in
pursuing this concept so it will take time.
There was discussion about the need for increased transportation for students during
after-school hours and the need to change the Lexpress bus schedules to adjust for the
changes in school hours that begin in FY2021. It was suggested that the budget include an
additional $50,000 for a fourth bus to operate four hours a week during the 180 school days.
Ms. Barrett agreed to explore this possibility.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 PM
Respectfully Submitted, Sara Arnold
Approved
Materials presented at the meeting:
• Agenda for meeting
• Draft 2—FY2019 Transportation Advisory Committee Report for the Town Report
• Draft Letter to the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board
• Transportation Update Memo; October 7, 2019
• FY2019 Transportation Services Annual Report
• Patch Article: Arlington Select Board Approves Bus Lane on Mass. Ave., March 1, 2019
• Announcement: 128 Business Council Origin/Destination Transportation Survey
• Draft Lexington for All Ages: A Community Needs Assessment, Transportation extract,
by Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging. Wass, Boston