SARASOTA COUNTY GOVERNMENT CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Transcription

1 MINUTES THURSDAY, October 17, 2013 SARASOTA COUNTY GOVERNMENT CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Administration Center Training Rom 1 st Floor Committee Members Present Scott Whiterell Dorothy Hudson Hugo Mazzoli Willie Oler Frederic Bigio Isabel Deu Jim Van Pelt, MPO SCAT Personnel Present Sarah Blanchard, Sr. Planner Drake Odum, SCAT Admin Daniel Medina, SCAT IT coordinator Reba Skwire-Cline, Acquisitions and Contracts Coordinator Committee Members Absent: At large representatives 2 vacant positions Glama Carter, SCAT General Manager Phil Lieberman, Planner Susan Montgomery, Planner Karen Roland, Customer Service Manager Members of the Public Jolene Mullen Diane Saunders Marci Saunders Call Meeting to Order by Scott Whiterell at 2:05 P.M. and asked those present to introduce themselves. Open to the Public (please limit to 3-minutes per speaker) Leslie Vincent asked that two stop signs be moved to allow right-of-way to the buses, just before the Macy s loading area and on Venice Avenue at the intersection of Seaboard Avenue to improve performance and to reduce wear and tear on the buses. He also said that riders on the 9 and 16 have to wait longer due to route changes, he said that SCAT can coordinate better to accommodate riders. Phil Lieberman explained that the longer wait is correct, however that time was previously spent in traffic instead of waiting for the next bus for those coming from North Port or Englewood. Phil Lieberman said that wait times for those coming from Venice to Jacaranda Walmart have increased.

2 Vickie Stolen stated that bus drivers need to wait for passengers to find their seats before proceeding on with the route. Scott Whiterell asked whether there was a rule in place for drivers that covered this issue. Phil Lieberman explained that there is a rule in effect but that the drivers are able to start before passengers are seated in order to maintain the route schedule. Dorothy Hudson asked Vickie Stolen what route she rides. Vickie said route 6, and there was an incident on Euclid and Fruitville. Karen Roland asked her to file a complaint when she experiences issues in the future. Hugo Mazzoli asked whether the committee could develop a list of top five safety issues to have the drivers focus on. Sarah Blanchard said that SCAT cannot direct buses to not run on time, but can change the routes or increase the amount of time for the schedule. Discussion ensued regarding the policy SCAT should use regarding waiting until passengers are seated before continuing on the route. Vickie Stolen stated that a crosswalk is needed on route 6 north of Fruitville between Goodwill and the Commons to help passengers cross the road. Sarah Blanchard recommended that passengers go to the nearest signalized intersection to cross. Jim Van Pelt said that there is a serious safety issue with crosswalks midblock and that Florida Department of Transportation does not allow them. Discussion ensued regarding safety of crosswalks County wide. Marcia Saunders said that there needs to be a bench at Sun and Fun bus stop and that route 1 service should be extended to Sunday. Sarah Blanchard stated that extended route 1 service is a staff recommendation but requires funding and that there is a shelter at Sun and Fun that was recently installed. Marcia Saunders expressed support for keeping SCAT a public entity. Phil Lieberman asked how late Marcia would route 1, she replied 9:30. Candace Palmer said that privatizing SCAT would put a financial strain on poorer residents which would prevent them from using transit due to increase fares. She said that transit is her only means of transportation. She said that she wants SCAT operations to continue as they are. Sarah Blanchard said that the county is not looking to sell SCAT to a private company. She explained that the Sarasota County is looking to create an interlocal agreement with Manatee County and is investigating having a private company operate the bus system while Sarasota County would retain ownership. She explained that any fare or route changes would have to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners. Steve Bruegger said that bus ramp on #217 is in need of repair. Sarah Blanchard said that SCAT is hiring a new maintenance manager and ordering 17 new buses. Karen Roland discussed the process for investigating customer complaints. Approval of Agendas for July 18, 2013: Approved unanimously by a motion by Dorothy Hudson and seconded by Willie Oler. Minutes for April 18, 2013: Approved unanimously by a motion by Scott Whiterell

3 and seconded by Dorothy Hudson. Introdction of new Board members and support staff, Dorothy Ann Hudson Willie J. Oler Hugo Mazzoli Sarah Blanchard said that all three members were appointed on July 10 th. She explained that Dorothy Hudson and Hugo Mazzoli are serving unexpired terms on the committee which end on November 2015 and Willie Oler is serving an unexpired term on the committee ending on November She said that a STAR student will be appointed by the next meeting. She said there is one opening on the committee which will remain open until it is filled. Elect Chair and Vice Chair for the Committee Sarah Blanchard explained the history of the committee and stated that the election was put off due to the small amount of committee members. Dorothy Hudson put forth a motion to elect Scott Whiterell as Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Public Transportation (CACPT), seconded by Hugo Mazzoli. Motion passed unanimously. Hugo Mazzoli put forth a motion to elect Dorothy Hudson, seconded by Scott Whiterell. Motion passed unanimously. SCAT Director s Report -Sarah Blanchard Sarah Blanchard apologized the Glama Carter and Greg Brackin were unable to attend as they were attending training for the National Transit Database. She stated that the SCAT updates and previous statements she had made regarding privatization will take the place of the Director s report for this committee meeting. Advisory Member Reports (FDOT & MPO) Jim Van Pelt said that the MPO is conducting several studies on the latent demand for transportation between Port Charlotte and North Port, an MCAT fixed route for Lakewood Ranch, Park and Ride facilities, and SCAT bus stop GIS inventory for facilities. He stated that the MPO is working with SCAT to increase the number of bikes that their buses can carry from 2 to 3. Sarah Blanchard said that the MPO and SCAT will meet in August regarding the latent demand study. She said that there is a transfer station being designed on University Parkway, with an opening target date of Summer 2014 SCAT Updates

4 CAC Annual Report- October 22, 2013 The committee reviewed the annual report from October 12, Sarah Blanchard asked the committee whether they would form a subcommittee to produce an annual report, or schedule another advisory meeting. The committee updated the draft annual report included in the agenda packet for the upcoming meeting. Hugo Mazzoli suggested increasing the number of solar powered lights in shelters, illuminated bus stop signs, adopt a shelter program for businesses, and chartering buses to Van Wezel visitors as a goal for SCAT. Sarah Blanchard said that the report should include the express service, the North Port park and ride, and the cattleman transfer station. Motion to accept the marketing slide for the committee annual report put forth by Scott Whiterell, seconded by Dorothy Hudson and passed unanimously. Sarah Blanchard presented the bus stop shelter program overview for fiscal year 2013 and asked the committee to consider including thee MPO study on SCAT bus stop facilities. Motion to include the bus stop shelter program overview for fiscal year 2013 and the MPO study in the annual report, put forth by Dorothy Hudson, seconded by Scott Whiterell and passed unanimously. Sarah Blanchard asked the committee to consider presenting to the BCC on the issue of privatization in their annual report. Willie Oler recommended that the committee include a summary on privatization in the annual report. Hugo Mazzoli talked about issues that have occurred when other transit agencies considered privatization. Sarah Blanchard suggested the committee present as a group rather than relying on the committee chair individually to present. Jim van Pelt suggested including the issue of paratransit connectivity between MCAT and SCAT. Discussion took place regarding potential route locations in and around the Lakewood Ranch area. Motion to include the slide marked regional connections for the annual report, put forth by Scott Whiterell, seconded by Dorothy Hudson, passed unanimously. Schedule subcommittee meeting to prepare CAC Annual Report Sarah Blanchard asked whether the committee would include a slide on public involvement in the annual report. Hugo Mazzoli asked whether the committee should implement two meetings per year that are solely for public input. Sarah Blanchard said that the report should include the total number of public attendees to the CACPT over the last year. The history of the CACPT merger to the Bicycle and Pedestrian advisory committee was discussed, as well as the CACPT advisory board charter which states that the committee is required to meet at least six times per year. Hugo Mazzoli suggested that the committee have scheduled subcommittee meetings or public workshops. Sarah Blanchard provided background on past history for public outreach efforts by SCAT. The committee postponed making a decision on increasing the

5 number of meetings held each year. Motion to include the slide marked for the annual report, put forth by Scott Whiterell, seconded by Hugo Mazzoli. Motion to approve the annual report provided in the agenda packet and as edited by the committee, put forth by Scott Whiterell, seconded by Willie Oler. Willie Oler asked staff why the county does not allow advertising on SCAT buses. Karen Roland stated that the county has a general regulation about advertising that only allows free advertising for public and non-profit entities Minor Transit Development Plan (TDP) update Sarah Blanchard stated that staff will present the minor update to the Transportation Development Plan (TDP) to the Board on August 27 th. The county is required to provide updates to the TDP annually. Shelter Report Scott Whiterelly asked whether SCAT staff could schedule a cleaning at a bus stop location with a shelter. Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 3:58 P.M. Next Meeting: October 17, 2013 from 2-4 pm in the 1 st Floor Training Room at 1660 Ringling Boulevard.