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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9.21.22 Approved Minutes TRANSIT ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES September 21, 2022 Attendees: Evelyn Meuret, Chair Kari Straus, Board Jim Collins, Transportation Director Karl Buelow, Co-Chair Jane Boucher, Secretary Lynnsey Erickson, Council Excused: Brooke Berrens Call to Order – Meeting Chairperson Meuret called the meeting to order at 4:15 p.m. Public Comment – Meeting Chairperson Meuret invited anyone present for public comment to speak; to which there were none. New Business N/A Old Business N/A Staff Statements – Chairperson Meuret postponed the approval of minutes and asked if Jim could give the Ridership update first. Ridership Update Jim said one thing that stands out on the ridership report is that student ridership is up tremendously this year. He said it seems to be causing issues specifically at North High. One proactive measure the Operations Manager has implemented is going onsite and limiting the amount of riders on each bus. Currently the regular bus, plus a tripper bus are servicing North, as well as Route 4 about 15 minutes later. Our Operations team is working with the school resource officer and principal at North to control the situation. The first day of the new strategy, the first two buses quickly filled up leaving about 30 students waiting for the next option. One thing that was determined is that many students within walking distance to their homes were boarding just to be with their friends. It was TAB AGENDA ITEMS 2 Sept. 21, 2022 also determined by the resource officer that several students were no longer current students. Even if the school district wanted to fund a 3rd bus, it would be almost impossible to accommodate due to the current staffing challenges. Karl asked what the update is on the free ridership for upcoming years. Jim said he hasn’t heard anything yet but there is a joint meeting of the school board and city council in October and this is on the agenda. He does know that this last year the school district picked up most of the funding for the private donor portion. Boys & Girls Club donated a small portion, but the district ultimately paid almost 2/3’s of the program expense. Lynnsey said that will be discussed at the October 27th joint meeting. Evelyn asked if there are also issues at West; Jim stated very few so the focus at this time is North High. She said limiting capacity is a good idea as it isn’t fair to the regular riders that happen to be on during the school times. Route 10 Update Jim said they met with Winnebago County and it was decided they would keep things as is through May of 2023. They seem open to support funding beyond that time period, however it may not be the same service. East Central Regional Planning Commission is assisting in researching and developing an alternative service. . They are in the early stages of researching demographics so ultimately we can define who may use Route 10, how often and where they are traveling to and from. Valley Transit currently has a program called the Connector Service, something similar may work to solve the Route 10 needs. Because Federal money is being used, it is important to not have a program only designed for a specific group such as the disabled/elderly; it must be offered to the general public as well to avoid exclusion. Transit Center Update Jim said this week the curbs should be completed at the downtown Transit Center and the completion ETA is the 2nd week in November. He is also getting more involved with the Phase 2 plan which is much more involved as it would require environmental assessments and real estate acquisitions. Procurement Update The two 2022 Diesel buses have been received and the two Hybrid buses should be sometime next month. There was a delay due to a chip backorder. These buses are basically custom built from the frame up to our specifications so it does slow down the production time. They will come preinstalled with both the Quantum securement system and drivers barrier. The Lead Mechanic goes onsite for a few days to test and pre-inspect before taking ownership. TAB AGENDA ITEMS 3 Sept. 21, 2022 Evelyn invited the board to proceed outside to tour one of the new buses that was on site. Russ Pamulak was available to answer any questions and to give a demonstration of the quantum wheelchair securement system. Karl asked if the kids abuse the pull strings; Russ said absolutely but it is almost impossible for a driver to manage an overcrowded bus of 60-70 students to discipline. Limiting each bus to 40 riders should help make the riding experience safer and more enjoyable for the driver and passengers. Future Agenda Requests Chairperson Meuret asked if there were any special requests for future meeting topics; to which there were none from the board members. Jim Collins said East Central will also be assisting with the 2023 Transit Development Plan. The last time it was done was extensively was in 2010 so it will be good to analyze the routes, schedule and times to see if any changes need to be implemented to better serve the city. Chairperson Meuret asked for a motion to approve the minutes from last meeting now that enough members were present. Karl Buelow made a motion to approve the minutes as written, seconded by Lynnsey Erickson. Motion carried. Adjournment Kari Straus made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Lynnsey Erickson. Meeting adjourned at 4:48 pm.