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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTAB_Board_Minutes_07-16-08TRANSIT ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES JULY 16, 2008 4:30 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mary Louise Lewis, Jessica King, Diane, Hoffmann, Diane Lowe, Troy Monday and Mike Norton MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeffrey Olmstead OTHERS PRESENT: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director Jennifer Weigand, Recording Secretary Chairperson Lewis called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. 1) REQUEST FOR A ROUTE CHANGE ON ROUTE 1-EAST LOOP. Mr. Strong said from his analysis of ridership patterns, there is currently not much ridership in this portion of the route. He felt the proposed realignment would not add ridership. Mr. Paul Carstens, 2332 Hickory Lane, had made the request. He noted Hickory Lane runs north of Murdock Avenue for a mile and than it is another 2/10 of a mile to the nearest bus stop. Mrs. Lewis questioned how often he rode the bus. Mr. Carstens replied a few times in the past but with increasing gasoline prices, he would consider using the bus more often. Mr. Strong informed the Board that originally Mr. Carstens had suggested extending the route over to Menominee Drive. However, this would not work with the existing service frequency. Mr. Strong noted that we recently had printed 15,000 schedules and he would not recommend changing this route until we needed to reprint schedules. Mrs. Lowe asked if inserts could be added to the schedules. Mr. Strong replied that could be done and has been done in the past. Mr. Strong said he had received three phone calls from Cliffview residents opposed to this change. Ms. Lori Subat,1630 Cliffview Drive, turned in a signed petition (22 signatures) opposed to this request. She said she has observed the speed at which the buses travel to keep on schedule and is concerned about adding additional time to the route. She said the road TAC MINUTES 2 JULY 16, 2008 was designed to slow traffic down. She questioned if this would be the best way to serve Hickory Lane residents. Ms. Brittany Glatting said she had previously taken piano lessons from a teacher who resided on Nevada Avenue, and she was always told to watch out for the bus when crossing the street. Mr. Dan Fiser, 1655 Cliffview Drive, questioned why two short blocks would make a difference, if Mr. Carstens is not a regular rider. Ms. Margaret Martin, 1720 Cliffview Drive, lives on the curve. She noted that her neighbor has a handicapped child, who is picked up daily and they park their vehicles on the street, which slows traffic down. Ms. Audrey Steinberg, 1610 Graber Street, was concerned with the blind curve in the roadway, the speed buses travel and the young children in the area. Mr. Carstens agreed this was a short tight curve on Cliffview Drive. Ms. Betty Glatting, 1790 Cliffview Drive, noted the bus would stop in front of her home. She felt this should be studied further. She felt the residents on White Swan Drive bought their homes aware of the bus route on that street. One reason the residents on Cliffview Drive purchased their homes was because there were no buses traveling on the street. She noted this is a quiet street and there are many young children in the neighborhood. She was surprised how one citizen could get this request to this point. She felt the Board was not looking at the whole picture and more planning needs to go into this. Mr. Carstens replied that much thought was put into his request. Mrs. Hoffman noted that ridership begins to increase in the fall and now with fuel prices increasing, we should maybe look at potential changes for all of the routes. Mr. Norton felt unless ridership numbers would significantly increase with the change, he would not support this request. Mrs. Lewis felt if a person does not ride on regular basis, she would not support a change at this time. Mr.lVorton recommended against a route change at this time, Mrs. Lewis seconded the motion. Motion carried (6-0). 2. DISCUSSION ON BIKE RACKS ON BUSES. Mr. Strong gave a brief explanation on the information presented to the Board. Mrs. King felt we should put this in the city's 2009 CIP. She felt this could potentially expand ridership, especially since there would be campus participation. TAC MINUTES 3 JULY 16, 2008 Mr. Norton would like to see bike racks on all buses. He felt with rising gas prices, this expense would be justified. Mrs. Lowe would like to see more advertising done to make people aware of the bike racks on the buses. Mr. Norton agreed with Mrs. Lowe. Mr. Strong said this was a low cost capital improvement, which could have a great impact by adding ridership. Mr. Carstens said a strong argument could be an extension of time on the route, similar to loading a handicapped rider. Mr. Strong replied that other transit systems indicated that it takes less time to load a bike than to secure a wheelchair. Mr. Bob Poeschl, 912 Bay Shore Drive, is an avid bike rider and would support this idea. This would help solve the challenge of getting around Oshkosh, which is not set up to bike safely around. He noted other cities have dirt and/or cement trails through the city, which is a much safer way to bike. There are a few bus routes used more than others and he would suggest larger racks on those routes. He noted this is a great option but just because we put racks on the buses, it doesn't necessarily mean people will come and use them. He thinks this would be foresight into alternative transportation. He noted in 2004 he was on a committee, which tried to get bike racks, and there were some financial avenues available back then. Mrs. Lowe questioned if bike safety was taught in schools. Mr. Poeschl said this has become a role of the Police and Fire Departments. Other agencies, like the Boys and Girls Club, have become involved in this type of education. Mr. Ashley Hesse, 4815 Plummers Pt. Rd., encouraged such activities. He said this was a good idea and he would use it. Mr. Steve Barney, 1216 Elmwood Avenue, spoke regarding funding sources. He noted that when the one month trial was conducted in the late 1990s, there was federal funding available. However, that funding is no longer available. He said he had spoken to Cheryl Fowler, Program Director at the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, and there may be some money available. He mentioned another source of funding could be from the City Bicycle Fund, which is allocated through the Parks Board. He suggested more Police enforcement of bike licensing, which could increase the Bicycle Fund. He pointed out that in the Transportation Management Report, dated July 2007, under the ecological sustainability section, mentions that the use of alternative modes of transportation such as bicycles, walking or buses can also have a positive impact on the environment. He believes riding buses and bikes is more environmentally sound than riding in cars. He noted he rides his bicycle all year long. He mentioned that on 9/l l /07 the City signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, in which the city seeks to strive to reduce gas emissions. TAC MINUTES 4 JULY 16, 2008 He suggested the Board install 3-bike racks versus 2-bike racks on all the buses. Mr. Norton asked when the earliest date would be to install them on the buses. Mr. Strong replied, if approved in the 2009 CIP, the spring of 2009. Mr. Norton would like Mr. Strong to further explore the possibility of using the Bicycle Fund. Mrs. King would like to see 3-bike racks. Mrs. Lewis asked what the difference in price would be. Mr. Strong replied approximately $5,000. Mrs. Hoffman felt we should go with the 3-bike racks right away. Mrs. Hoffman recommended Mr. Strong to move forward with the purchase of 3-bike racks for all city buses. Mrs. Lowe seconded the motion. Motion carried (6-0). 3. A DISCUSSION OF SERVICE EXPANSION (EVENING SERVICE AND "SAFE RIDE"). Mr. Strong gave a brief synopsis of the proposed service expansion. Mr. Thomas Wolf, president of the UVV-Oshkosh Student Association, explained the "Safe Ride" service. He said the program would be similar to La Crosse's transit system's Safe Ride program. He noted many chancellors are in support of this service. Mr. Norton said he would like to learn more about La Crosse's program. He would be in favor of service from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., which could affect the whole city. Mrs. King is excited about this service especially if UVV-0 is funding the demonstration service. VVe would learn from this trial service if the ridership justifies service expansion. Mr. Joe Blohm, Director of Uw0 Parking, noted this is being paid for through student fees and not general tax dollars. He noted UWO has several remote parking areas in the city and this would help these students get to their vehicles. Mrs. Lewis is afraid some people will get the perception it's a party bus. She would rather see the service 6 p.m. -11 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Mr. Norton was willing to try it. Mrs. Hoffman agreed with Mr. Norton. She said if it doesn't work, at least we can say we tried it. Mr. Norton asked if the service was open to anyone. Mr. Strong replied yes. He noted that in La Crosse after 10 p.m., the service is free to everyone. He also noted that La Crosse has not had any unusual safety problems related to this service. Mr. Ashley Hesse said that in Madison this service is known as the "Drunk Bus". He noted that for years there has been efforts made to expand bus service in Oshkosh and he was surprised how UWO has influenced this decision. TAC MINUTES 5 JULY 16, 2008 Mrs. Lowe has a problem with service until 3 a.m. Mrs. Lewis noted that the Tavern League has had a program in place for years for customers too inebriated to drive home. Mrs. King said it was better to look at responsible approaches and provide safe alternatives. We don't want to encourage irresponsible behavior but provide safer alternatives. She sees this also as helping out the 2nd shift workforce. Mr. Norton moved to support implementation the evening service and "Safe Ride'; as presented, on a trial basis. Mrs. Lowe seconded the motion. Motion carried (6-0). 4. DISCUSSION OF CONTRACTING FOR TRANSIT ADVERTISING. Mr. Strong explained how an advertising contractor can offer several advantages over handling advertising in-house. Mr. Norton questioned if an advertising contractor would add national advertising to our buses. Mr. Strong replied they would take over our current existing advertisers and could add national advertisers. Mrs. King asked if our current advertising rules would stand. Mr. Strong replied that we would have control over the type of advertising. Mrs. Hoffmann moved to pursue outside advertising contracting. Mr. Norton seconded the motion. Motion carried (6-0). 5. DISCUSSION ON ALTERNATIVE FARE STUCTURES. Mr. Strong said the effect of these types of programs (Day Passes and Summer Usage Passes) on the overall system usage and revenues was not clear. It could be detrimental on the fare structure on a whole. Mr. Norton did not want to pursue either option. Mrs. Lowe felt we have what we need. Mrs. King moved to accept the alternative fare structures. Mrs. Lowe seconded the motion. Motion lost (0-6). FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Mr. Norton would like to see the re-evaluation all bus routes in the future. STAFF STATEMENTS 1) FIRST IMPRESSSIONS REPORT FOR OSHKOSH TAC MINUTES 6 JULY 16, 2008 Mrs. Lowe was pleased with the positive comments. 2) INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRANSIT COORDINATOR. Mr. Strong introduced Mr. David Vickman to the Board. Mr. Vickman began his duties as the Transportation Department's Transit Coordinator on July 7th. His previous employer was the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. There be no other business to come before the Transit Advisory Board and upon duly being made and seconded (Norton, Monday), the meeting adjourned at 6:02 p. m.