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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-12-2014 MTC Minutes FINALCITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE COUNCIL HEARING ROOM 990 PALM ST. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 FINAL CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Elizabeth Thyne called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Elizabeth Thyne, James Thompson, Todd Katz, Sara Sanders, Dominique Bonino, and Anthony Pinkerton Staff: Gamaliel Anguiano and Dee Lawson PUBLIC COMMENTS James Park, resident, felt there needed to be crosswalks designated in the Tank Farm/Brookpine area. Kathy Smith, Council representative, agreed to discuss Mr. Parks’ comments with the Public Works/Street Division. MINUTES Ms. Justice moved to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2014 regular meeting as submitted. Mr. Pinkerton seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 1. ACTION ITEMS There were no action items at this time. 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2a/b. Marketing Plan/Short Range Transit Plan Mr. Thompson discussed the need to review the marketing plan included in the existing SRTP, noting that the information included in the SRTP was not current. He felt the information should be updated and a marketing plan should be drafted to reflect current information and community needs. He felt there were other target demographics that should be incorporated. Mr. Thompson emphasized what a huge benefit the transit system is and how well it was operating and felt it was crucial that word got out to increase ridership and transit awareness. Mr. Anguiano felt the current marketing was hitting the major demographics, noting the display ads in newspapers worked well for reaching the elderly and disabled. He wanted to leverage the free informational platforms available, such as social media, and agreed that more budget would allow for more targeted approaches for increasing new ridership numbers. He stated he would gather the information/data captured from the social media campaign, as well as the existing media campaign, and create a foundation from which to work. Ms. Justice suggested Ms. Lawson share the recent Cal Poly trolley campaign with Mr. Anguiano so he could see what had been done. 2c. SLO Marathon Conflicts Ms. Thyne distributed a draft letter she had written to read at the next City Council meeting regarding the street closures due to the marathon. She asked the Committee to consider the letter and comment. There was general Committee discussion. Mr. Katz felt the letter should focus on the main problem, which is that many residents are stranded due to the street closures – especially the elderly and disabled. Ms. Sanders felt that a more formal tone was needed if the letter were to be submitted on behalf of the Committee. Ms. Lawson noted that re-routing could be an option to better mitigate inconvenience to the most transit-dependent residents. Mr. Katz moved to authorize the Committee Chair to recommend to Council that they direct city staff to work with the marathon planners to significantly mitigate the impact of the marathon event on the city’s transit-dependent population. Mr. Thompson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Ms. Thyne agreed to present the Committee’s motion/action to Council and stated she would be making additional comments as a private citizen at the April 15 Council meeting. 2d. Formation of an Inter-Model Committee Mr. Katz discussed the concept of forming a citizen group to explore other ways that people get around and felt that the city would benefit from the input and energy from a wide reach of people who use and/or were interested in public transit, as well as taxis, RTA, trains, planes, etc. He noted some possible interest group factions might include pedestrians, bicyclists, people who were concerned with parking, street cleaning, directional/access street signage, etc. He felt some people had a lot of interest in how to get around town and felt a wide range of such people should be approached for participation and discussion; he noted that approximately 100 people attended the round-about public forum. Fred Munroe, transit planner, reported that many regional/SLOCOG agencies are involved with groups/event pertaining to inter-modal aspects and suggested that alternate resources also exist therein. Kathy Smith noted that multi-modal issues were included in the Land Use Element/General Plan, which was now being reviewed at the EIR phases. Geoff Straw, RTA representative, suggested making this topic a discussion item when the Committee reviewed their Advisory Body goals to submit to Council. 3. STAFF ITEMS 3a. Transit Manager’s Report Mr. Anguiano presented the report and discussed the increase in ridership compared to the previous year. He also discussed fuel costs. 3b. Transit 40th Anniversary – May 8 Ms. Lawson discussed the celebration details, which included a luncheon event that presented an overview on transit history, current status of the transit department, and plans for the future. She noted that transit prices would drop to the 1974 rates for one week. 3c. Intoxicated Passengers Mr. Anguiano discussed revised language to cover “impairment” of many sorts, not just “intoxication.” He outlined amendments to the policy, some of which involved police action. 3d. Updated Policy on E-Cigarettes/Smoking Mr. Anguiano stated he was modifying the policy language to read “no smoking of any kind.” MEMBER COMMENTS Mr. Pinkerton read comments submitted from the homeless community, expressing appreciation for the bus system and their request that more buses be retrofitted with luggage racks. He also stated the Brickyard bus stop needs repairing. Ms. Justice had several comments:  Regarding the extra framing at select bus stops, could similar framing be incorporated for all stops? Mr. Anguiano said they were looking into reasonably-priced systems that would cover all of the stops.  There seemed to be lack of notice on Rt. 1/Rt. 3 regarding President’s Day schedule.  Some of the lights at bus stops were not bright enough; Mr. Anguiano stated he was working on a grant, but no solar options currently seemed bright enough.  The Board of Directors at Judson Terrace was looking for low-income city residents to serve on the Board (did not have to live at Judson Terrace) There was discussion about the current intersection issues at the Downtown Transit Center and the possible use of a “scramble” stoplight. Mr. Katz moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:30 p.m. to the next regular meeting of May 14, 2014. Ms. Bonino seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Woske, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY THE MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: 07/09/2014