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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 07/19/1995Draft minutes to be approved by the Transportation Board at their August 16, 1995 meeting. TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEETING MINUTES JULY 19, 1996 FOR REFERENCE: Chair - Colin Gerety (970)546-0460 Vice Chair - Paul Valentine 493-0100 Council Liaison - Will Smith 223-0425 Staff Liaison - Tom Frazier 224-6052 Secretary - Cindy Scott 224-6058 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Mark Egeland, Sara Frazier (late), Colin Gerety, Donn Hopkins, Elizabeth Hudetz (late), and Paul Valentine. BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Dolores Highfield, Ray Moe, and Paul Perlmutter. STAFF/COUNC I L/G U ESTS: Ron Phillips, John Daggett, and Cindy Scott. AGENDA: Call to Order Approval of Minutes A. PUBLIC COMMENT B. ACTION ITEMS 1. Free Fares for Youth (Transfort) 2. Transportation Board Expansion 3. Letters by Chair Gerety C. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Transportation Services Budget Review 2. Transportation Demand Management Update 3. Transit Development Plan Update 4. Board Member Reports 5. Staff Reports 6. Summary/Next Agenda 7. Other Business Chair Gerety called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Due to lack of a quorum at this time, the Board cannot approve the minutes or take any action. They opted to move on to the discussion items. A. PUBLIC COMMENT None C.1. TRANSPORTATION SERVICES BUDGET REVIEW Phillips took the floor and showed an overhead presentation on the budget that has been turned into the City Manager's office. He talked about the house appropriations bills and how they would affect transportation. Daggett responded to a question about the Transfort budget by stating that Route 10 has been reworked and will be in effect August 21. This is in the new Fort Collins High School area. Another route created in conjunction with the Southeast Area Employers Partnership (route 11) is almost ready for operation. A major announcement will be made for both of the new routes soon. Phillips said that he will have Susanne Edminster prepare summaries of the total budget for the next meeting if possible. Phillips talked about the idea of a Transportation Utility Fee and said that a cross functional City team has been created and is pursuing information to bring to Council at a study session in September. (The Board went back to approval of minutes now that there is a quorum.) There was a motion, a second and a unanimous vote to approve the June 21, 1995 Transportation Board Meeting Minutes as presented. B.I. FREE FARES FOR YOUTH (TRANSFORT) - JOHN DAGGETT Daggett stated that he would go over the information in the packets briefly. Through the pilot program, Transfort staff tried to encourage youth to learn to ride Transfort in the hope that two things would happen: 1) Youth would learn about riding transit and be more inclined to use it as adults, and 2) Transfort would substitute for the private auto and potentially school buses in providing trips for the city's youth. Both items were accomplished although the second point was mixed because the auto was then freed up and parents were using their free time to do other things, making more trips. Tom Frazier stated that he had a meeting with the drivers and they expressed a concern about the youth behavior, but also felt that imposing a fee once again would discourage those demonstrating negative behavior. Daggett then went over Options "A" & "B" with the Board. The difference between the two is that option "B" requires a fare. Daggett stated that staff recommends Option A because it provides a balanced approach to encouraging responsible behavior, forms a strong alliance with the city's school district, supports Transfort staff with on -going training, creates effective, reliable and swift discipline and prosecution when needed and has the least negative impact on overall youth ridership. Staff would use a phase approach to implementing the elements of the chosen option, for instance, the Code of Conduct would be established and driver training would be provided. It is desirable not to place cameras on buses until necessary after these other steps have been taken and results are observed. Hopkins shared instances where immediate consequences for behavior proved successful. Valentine said that a lot of control has to be exhibited by the driver - even now with the current system. He also agreed with the step approach and is glad to hear that cameras won't be installed until necessary as there is a fine line when it comes to privacy. Frazier stated her agreement with the phasing idea. Chair Gerety asked the Board's opinion on each element of the options: 1) Establish a Code of Conduct - All agreed 2) Provide additional driver training - All agreed 3) Place cameras on buses - Implement as needed 4) Add full-time dispatch coverage and work more closely with P.D. - All agreed 5) Develop cooperative marketing programs through the school district - All agreed 6) Passes/fares? - Hopkins said that sometimes CSU students feel that there is an inequity because they still have to pay and one group of people, chosen just because of their age, doesn't have to pay. Chair Gerety asked for a show of hands of those who would support passes = five. Then he asked for those who would support fares = one. Therefore, the majority vote was Option A. He said that the Board letter, which he will draft, would reflect support of Option A and the Board's general support for the proposals as a whole; that there was agreement that the cameras could wait; the full-time dispatch coverage is a general safety issue and is supported outside of the context of this proposal. It will state that youth fares are an educational tool to get people familiar with the system and the City may wish to re -impose fares when that goal is accomplished and will include facts of why it is good to ride the bus in the marketing approach. B.2. TRANSPORTATION BOARD EXPANSION Valentine made a motion to expand the Transportation Board from nine members to eleven. There was a second by Frazier. Chair Gerety opened the floor to discussion: Egeland stated that he doesn't think the problems that the Transportation Board has dealt with over the last three years have been because there hasn't been enough people on the Board and for that reason doesn't feel it's necessary to expand. He said he doesn't think that any more work will get done by expanding the Board. Hopkins said that he is honored to be on the Board and is glad to represent CSU and thinks that there may be other constituents out there that may be missing or excluded just by the sheer number that's allowed, that would be the only reason he could see for expanding. Valentine agreed and said that that's exactly why he wants to see the Board expand, because Hopkins sitting here tonight has added a great deal of information. The more people (representatives) you have, the more information we can get. Frazier said that the person who did not get re -appointed brought an important element to the Board - the transportation dependent. Chair Gerety said that CSU's representation is also important and the Council did express frustration at having to lose one element for the other. Chair Gerety then asked for a vote on the motion. Valentine, Hopkins, Frazier and Gerety voted in favor, Ege/and opposed and Hudetz abstained. The motion carried by a majority vote. Chair Gerety will inform Council of the Board's action/request and the final decision will be left up to them. Valentine and Gerety said that the letter to Council should state the Board's desire to expand stems from wanting to have more elements of the community represented such as the transportation dependent. B.3. LETTERS BY CHAIR GERETY Chair Gerety stated that since there are a couple of sales taxes due to end soon, it seems an appropriate time to take this issue to Council for consideration. He said that the letter is simply his view of the world and asked for comments. He indicated that the Board could leave it as is, change it, or not send it at all. He stated that if money is to be raised for transportation, then we have to move more toward a utility model where people have to pay for what they use and avoid hassles rather than a model where people pay whether they use it or not. He would like to see the taxes more closely tied to the actions to influence people's behavior. In support of that, he wrote the letters entitled, "Proposed Transportation Board Letter to City Council" and "Argument in Support of Transportation Board Letter to Council". Valentine said that he agrees in concept with Gerety, but doesn't believe that raising gas .17 cents is going to do it. He feels we need to find a way to do it with the automobile, he doesn't know how exactly, but agrees with Gerety's concept. Valentine stated that the shorter letter needs to pick up some of the argument. It needs to be more persuasive. Hudetz suggested spending more time on it, in a brain storming session because Council won't want to read the letter as is and then feel that they have to come up with ideas. If the Board presents ideas to them, it makes it much easier to take off with it. She said that if the Board can craft a strong letter, it would be received better. Hopkins said that it would be better to come up with a strategic plan with goals already laid out. He feels that this would be the way to give it to Council. J Gerety thanked the board members for their input, and said that he drafted the letter, not because it he thought it would be the basis for any policy, but was intended to be a nudge in a particular direction at a time when people would be thinking about the issues. Also because the general tendency seems to be looking at doing things the same old way. He said he was glad to hear Phillips talk about the budget earlier and that finally, transportation may be doing things differently. There was a discussion about the use of sales taxes. There was a motion to send the short letter to the Council and as an addendum, send the supporting argument along with it. There was a second. Ege/and, Valentine and Gerety voted in favor of the motion. Hudetz, Frazier and Hopkins opposed. The motion did not carry. There was a motion to bring this item back to the next meeting for further discussion. There was a second and the motion carried by a unanimous vote. The letter to Ensdorff was discussed and it was agreed that a thank -you card would be routed to all the Board members and sent to Ensdorff along with the letter. It was suggested that the same be done for Rita Davis and the Board agreed. C.S. STAFF REPORTS Valentine commented that the community lost a couple of kids recently, primarily due to lack of education and somebody needs to get it done. He said that Council needs to hear this to make a strong point in getting an education person on board. If there was a mad pedophile that killed these two kids, the whole community would be up in arms and yet you don't hear much because the kids were killed on bicycles. Gerety said you don't hear much because it was an accident, and Valentine added that accidents don't need to happen if people are educated. Valentine said that he would like to serve on the pedestrian plan committee. Hopkins commented that CSU and the city are going to participate together in the parking plan. C.6 SUMMARY/NEXT AGENDA - Chair Gerety's letters - Budget Process Update - TDM Update - Master Transportation Plan - TDP Update Egeland asked for a regular staff report on the MPO and what is going on there. The e_eting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. 62e Cindy L. 9cott, Secretary