Public Transit Advisory Committee Minutes
June 19, 2003, 4:00 pm – 5:30pm
Public Transit Division Office, 933 New Hampshire Street
Members present: Chairman Danny Kaiser, Rob Tabor, Andy Stahmer, Jo Ann Garrett, Marian Hukle, Ernie Dyer, Alan Black.
Members Excused: Melodie Christal, Tim Akright
Staff Members Present: Karin Rexroad, Mike Sweeten, Wendy Koerner.
Call to Order
Chairman Danny Kaiser called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm.
Public Comment
Saunny Scott said she thought it was exciting to see so many positive letters to the editor in support of the T.
Pat Slick expressed his pleasure that Dolph Simons, Journal World Editor, agrees with him on the subject of night transportation. Pat Slick is concerned about the on-time performance of the fixed route system. He has noticed when the Route 6 bus is running late, they skip going to the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center (LIAC). He wanted to know how many minutes must pass after the published time, for a bus to be considered late. Administrator mentioned that many City projects and road improvements are under way and have been affecting the timeliness of the system. Mike Sweeten said if Route 6 is running behind, the bus will skip the LIAC leg to pick up time. In these instances a road supervisor is directed to LIAC to pick up any passengers that may have been waiting for the bus, so no one is left behind. Pat Slick asked if the drivers know the safest places to stop. He feels this needs to be made clear to both drivers and passengers. Pat Slick referred to a comment posted on the Larryville Forum website about what is considered an easily handled package to be carried on the bus. He feels this also needs to be more clearly defined. Pat Slick voiced his concern about high employee turnover and the length of time the contract negotiations between MV and union representatives is taking.
Andy Stahmer is concerned that Lawrence Transit System (LTS) will be switching from a flag-down system to a designated–stop system in the fall of 2003. He feels the closest stop for him to catch a bus may be placed too far for him to reach, especially during bad weather. This would require him to go back to using the T Lift exclusively. He wondered if LTS would consider allowing ADA certified individuals to continue flagging down buses. Administrator explained that although LTS is working towards designated stops, no target date for final implementation has been set. Pat Slick said would like to see bus stops on every corner. Mike Sweeten indicated designated bus stops, placed too close together, greatly reduce the efficiency and timeliness of the system. This is also true of a flag down system, when many stops are required in a short distance, because of no designated place for individuals to wait for a bus. LTS is still in the early stages of the Master Signage Plan, which was designed to place bus stop signs along all routes at approximately 1/8 mile intervals, which is an industry standard.
Agenda Review
No revisions or additions were made to the agenda.
Public Transit Administrator Update
Ridership Report
Administrator updated PTAC on the April and May ridership reports. The trend of increasing fixed-route ridership continues as there were 825 average daily riders in April, and 849 in May. As of June 17, the average daily riders for June, is 918. Paratransit ridership remains steady with daily average of 150 in April, and 146 in May. Administrator added that a local gentleman, G. Wayne Parks, has very generously collected and donated money to LTS to assist in efforts to increase ridership. Together with Mr. Parks, LTS has identified several agencies who in the past have demonstrated a need for transit services for their clients. The donated money is used to purchase passes and tickets for these agencies, so they may assist individuals with their transportation needs.
Transit Provider
City Commission approved the recommendation to award the provider contract to MV Transportation for a 5-year term. FTA regulations allow a two-week period for other proposers to protest the imminent award. Laidlaw and MV Transportation were the only two companies that submitted proposals, and Laidlaw has indicated they will not protest the award. Contract award will occur at the June 24, 2003, City Commission meeting.
Submitted Budget
As requested, the 2004 budget is essentially the same as the current year. Administrator has not heard from the FTA or State regarding 2004 funding levels. At the request of the City Commission, Administrator and provider came up with six scenarios for moderate and significant reductions of service, in case more serious budget cuts are required. A public hearing would be necessary if any changes or reductions are mandated by the City Commission. As part of their city orientation, Commissioners Schauner and Highberger took a bus ride to introduce them to the system and to answer any questions they had regarding service provision. Commissioners seemed very receptive to maintaining the system and allowing time for it to grow and mature. City Commission has a scheduled Budget Study Session set for July 2, 2003.
Alan Black asked if MV provides any sort of annual wage increase which would affect the LTS budget. Administrator answered that MV is fully responsible for any wage issues and they would absorb any additional costs not outlined in their contract proposal. The only thing that would raise our payment amount would be an increase in revenue hours.
Sidewalk Sale
City Commission agreed with PTAC’s recommendation to allow free ridership on the day of the Downtown Lawrence Annual sidewalk sale, which is on July 17. LTS will run an ad the day before the sale. Downtown Lawrence, Inc., will be responsible for the majority of the promotion. Hank Booth, KLWN/Lazer, will be doing a remote from one of the buses. Andy Stahmer, KLWN/Lazer plans to interview Maria Martin, Downtown Lawrence about the sidewalk sale and Karin Rexroad, Transit Administrator, regarding the ‘T’ promotion.
Travel Training
Administrator requested direction from the board on how they would like her to proceed with the idea of travel training. Committee asked her to determine actual travel training needs in the community and put together a preliminary budget and project proposal to be presented to PTAC at the August meeting.
KU Student Ridership
The City Commission approved PTAC’s recommendation for LTS to develop a one-year pilot program for KU to sell passes for the ‘T’ at the same time they sell KU on Wheels passes. For $20, the Student Union Activities office would sell ‘T’ stickers, to be placed on KU student ID’s. Upon presentation to the driver, the T sticker would allow students passage on any LTS fixed-route bus during hours of operation. Alan Black asked if there had been any discussion to offer the same type of pass to high school students. Administrator conveyed that the success of the pilot program would dictate whether or not this program would be offered to other schools in the future.
Amenities Update
Administrator reported the committee has determined that audio signage technology is too expensive for LTS to further explore at this time. The committee would like to concentrate their efforts on signage, travel-training, and utilization of the Federal earmark meant for a downtown transfer station. The committee is looking for ways to improve the current LTS hubs located in downtown Lawrence and behind JC Penney’s. Administrator updated PTAC on the status of bus shelter installation for 2003. Seventeen (17) additional shelters are planned for 2003, which will bring the total number of shelters to thirty-two (32). LTS has the option to purchase an additional fourteen (14) shelters, if the committee determines a need for them. Administrator suggested LTS hold off on ordering the additional shelters and explained LTS has experienced difficulty with placement of shelters, because of ‘less than receptive’ property owners and overall lack of support. Although most shelters are placed fully within City right of way, Administrator advised there are many levels of approval needed to place bus shelters. Marian Hukle said she is concerned about the condition of some of the areas where she is dropped off, especially Hy Vee located at Kasold and Clinton Parkway. She often experiences uneven ground and areas lacking pavement and inquired whose responsibility it is to maintain these areas. She felt that concrete pads may be beneficial in many areas. Administrator requested specific areas be brought to transit’s attention for review with Public Works and possible improvement with Federal earmark.
Route Review
Staff is currently working with Dorothy Hersey, Staff Consultant with MV Transportation, to develop ways to enhance our system. Staff is investigating many avenues such as increased coordination with KU on Wheels, ridership surveys, and adjusting headways. LTS plans to distribute surveys to riders for two-weeks in July and again in the fall of 2003. These surveys will help staff determine transfer, origin, and destination trends which are necessary to review the routes. Mike Sweeten pointed out that for the third month in a row, ridership had exceeded 25,000 riders for the combined systems. Administrator shared a rider’s question about LTS’ procedure if three people with bikes showed up to ride the same bus, and there are only two bike racks available.
Public Comment
Brenda Nunez asked about the possibility of posting route schedules in bus shelters. Administrator replied that Traffic Engineering is currently working on this and schedules will be added to the timing points as the Master Signage Plan progresses. Pat Slick offered to install or place schedules at stops if Traffic Engineering was too busy or behind in their duties to get to it soon. Administrator said Traffic Engineering has already ordered the signs, posts, and decals for the project.
Pat Slick would also like to see transfers between routes easier for riders. Pat also wondered at the accuracy of transfer studies when riders who carry passes are not required to obtain transfers. Mike Sweeten replied these numbers would be tracked as on and offs. Pat said he would like to see a good trainer for the possible travel training. In addition, Pat said he would like to invite Commissioners to ride Route 1 to see for themselves the condition of some of the roads the buses must travel, in particular the 900 block of Delaware Street and the 1200 block of Haskell Avenue.
Next Meeting
August 21, 2003, 4:00 to 5:30 pm
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:12 pm, per Chairman Kaiser.
Submitted by Wendy Koerner
Approved via email
