Minutes

Public Transit Advisory Committee Meeting: August 15, 2006

4:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Public Transit Division Office
933 New Hampshire Street

Members present: Chair Marian Hukle, Alan Black, Danny Kaiser, Marc Epard, Martin Miller, Jessica Mortinger

Members absent: Darlene Mortell, Richard Heckler, Ann Foster

Staff present: Public Transit Administrator (PTA) Cliff Galante, Mike Sweeten, Emily Lubliner and Wendy Koerner

Public present: Saunny Scott, Marion Babb

---

Call to Order

Board Chair Marian Hukle called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m.

Public Comment

Saunny Scott said she thinks everything is going good.

Agenda Review

The election of vice-chair was added to the agenda.

Approval of June PTAC Board Minutes

Alan Black moved to accept board minutes from June 20 meeting; Danny Kaiser seconded. Minutes were approved as submitted.

Public Transit Administrator Update

a. Ridership and Other Performance Statistics

PTA said June 2006 ridership was up 19% over June 2005; paratransit ridership increased by 8%. On June 8 we offered free ridership for "Dump the Pump Day," which is a nationally recognized promotion. On this day we realized our highest fixed-route ridership ever, with 2038 rides provided. However, in July we broke this record on the day of the Annual Sidewalk Sale with 2040 rides. The overall increase in July was 8% on the fixed route and 4% on the T Lift. KU's Park & Ride service began yesterday. PTA explained that since the vehicles were purchased with federal funding and are titled to the city, we will be able to claim their ridership on the Park & Ride on our NTD reports. It is expected the Park & Ride will provide approximately 300,000 rides per semester, and we anticipate approximately 500,000 rides on the "T", so we are looking at approximately 800,000 total rides for 2006. Martin Miller asked if 5% farebox recovery was really low. PTA confirmed that the national average for farebox recovery runs between 20 and 30%, but added our fares are significantly lower than all the other agencies in the state. He said the issue of increasing fares will need to be addressed by the board eventually.

b. Ridesharing "Carpool Connection" Program

PTA said we currently have 700 total registrants on Carpool Connection, with approximately 150 from Lawrence. Notices of Carpool Connection have aired on Kansas Public Radio and an advertisement will be included in the 2006/2007 KU student directory. KU has helped promote the service and Topeka Transit has expressed interest in joining.

c. Transit Amenities

PTA pointed out that transit route maps have been installed in all of the bus shelters and that he has noticed people using them. The maps are large enough to fit in one of the panes of shelter glass and are positioned so they are ADA accessible. Martin Miller asked about restroom facilities for the drivers. PTA said drivers are always welcome to use the facilities in our office and that the road supervisors have a key to the office for use after hours. PTA said he will be focusing on the two shelters downtown at our transfer hubs. He passed around pictures of shelters he saw on a recent trip to Boston, which he felt would fit in nicely downtown. He said he will be working with the planning department to determine an acceptable design for the area that is within the historical guidelines. Any new shelters or improvements would be funded by an amenities grant we received in 2000.

Present Proposed Bus Stop Locations from PTAC Standards Sub-Committee

Marc Epard said the sub-committee met to discuss all the proposed bus stop locations, in preparation of moving from a wave-down system to a designated stop system. With the growth of the system, on-time performance has suffered under the flag-down system. By switching to designated stops, on-time performance is expected to improve significantly. The next step is for the board to decide on how to move forward with final approval of the proposed sites. Staff was directed to prepare a list and map of all the existing bus stops and proposed bus stops. The complete list and map of bus stops will be posted in several public locations, and a notice will be placed in the LJW notifying the public of the opportunity to comment in writing on the proposed changes. All this information will be presented at the next PTAC meeting.

Proposed Capital Replacement Plan

PTA said that he had spoken with the City Manager regarding the three existing and one pending earmark we have received for use towards a proposed maintenance facility. The City Manager asked PTA to prepare a memo outlining all projected capital needs for City Commission consideration, including vehicle replacement. A draft copy of the memo had previously been sent to PTAC members for review prior to today's meeting. PTA briefly went over the draft memo and told the board he needs feedback in writing from them, which will be submitted along with the memo.

City/KU Transit Service Coordination Feasibility Update

PTA updated the committee on the planning study. So far the consultant has had meetings with groups from the city, KU, MV Transportation, Lawrence Bus Company and KU on Wheels. In addition he has collected operational data from both KU on Wheels and LTS. The consultant will be back in Lawrence in September for two additional public meetings. During the visit, they will also conduct on-board surveys on both the "T" and KU on Wheels, and will be providing an initial analysis of coordination alternatives to both the city and the university.

Schedule September Standards Sub-Committee Meeting

PTA will get with sub-committee members to schedule the next meeting.

Vice-Chair Nominations

Alan Black nominated Marc Epard for vice-chair and Marc declined. Marc nominated Alan Black for the position, and Alan was not opposed to serving. The committee voted, and Alan Black was elected as PTAC vice-chair.

Public Comment

Saunny Scott felt that the transit office and library were not enough places to have the proposed bus stops available for viewing by the public. She feels we should make them available on campus, the Arts Center, Parks and Recreation facilities, and possibly schools in an effort to get them out to the people.

Tentative Next Meeting Date

October 17, 2006

Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 5:37 p.m.

— Submitted by Wendy Koerner