Citizens’ Advisory Council General Meeting

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Draft General Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting called to order at 6:30pm.  Members in attendance: Roger Christensen (Chairperson), Kymberleigh Richards (Secretary), Neil Bjornsen, Russ Davies, Dionne Jiminez, Seymour Rosen, Howard Sachar, Peter Schick, Wally Shidler.

 

Chair Christensen noted that a book on the history of Boyle Heights is now available which includes a photo of Councilmember Rosen at age 11.

 

Ed Clifford, Director of Countywide Planning and Development, gave a status report on the Metro Connections program, and received comments and answered questions regarding:

·         The relationship between Metro and the municipal operators (coordination and cooperation)

·         Tier 1 services and the “12-Minute Map” presently in distribution

·         Proposed downtown transit mall: Difficulties in adding a bus lane on Broadway, opposition from merchants, LADOT concerns, high bus traffic on Broadway

·         Possibility for a downtown “free fare zone”: Structural deficit would make this a losing proposition

·         Hill St. conversion from two-way to one-way operation, then back again: Some routes moved off of Hill were not moved back

·         Transitway trunk services replacing other services: Part of network master plan, with implementation in June 2008

·         Metro Rapid buildup schedule

·         Service to the Elysian Park area: Ridership potential too low (less than 2000 passengers per day)

·         Whether the Sector Governance Councils makes the Metro Connections process easier or harder: Makes service change process work better, because the Councils are more involved and dig into the process more

·         Updates to Governance Councils in November

·         Councilmember Sachar requested that Councilmembers Shidler and Richards comment on the understanding of  the Governance Councilmembers’ understanding and use of service

·         Rapid Express implementation on Wilshire in June: 15-20% trip length savings expected from less stops (four stops en route, 1½ mile spacing)

·         Traffic issues on Wilshire Blvd. Rapid service: Dedicated bus lanes are needed, but there is a challenge in removing parking to create same

·         Future phases to include more route truncation and consolidation, less cancellation

·         Discussions on potential “point-to-point” services and restructuring of route segments

·         Chair Christensen requested that Councilmember Richards and Dana Gabbard comment on Southern California Transit Advocates’ position on Metro Connections

·         Need for a policy to hold service change public hearings at a “reasonable” time, rather than on weekdays during business hours

·         Schedule adherence problems on contract-operated Line 577X

·         Request to restructure Line 264 to better connect with the Metro Gold Line

·         Need for uniform economic policies to govern duplicated service and shortlines

·         Need for schedule coordination when lines are moved to operation by municipal operators

·         Bus color schemes and resultant fleet problems (local articulated buses and 40’ buses being used on Line 720)

 

Minutes of the January 24, 2007 General Meeting approved as corrected.  (Motion: Shidler, Second: Davies)

 

Approved revised letter urging Metro Board of Directors to appoint Governance Council members to the CAC from sectors not already represented; to be distributed by the Board Secretary’s office (Motion: Shidler, Second: Sachar).

 

Chair Christensen reported that the Executive Committee had discussed Councilmember Shidler’s proposal for CAC members contacting their appointers regarding CAC direction and work plan, and urged all Councilmembers to act thusly.

 

Councilmember Shidler reported that Jim Walker, the Historian/Archivist at the Dorothy Peyton Grey Transportation Library at Metro, would be signing copies of his new book on Los Angeles’

Streetcars at the Metro Employee Store on February 22.

 

Councilmember Davies requested information to assist a new CAC candidate in being appointed.

 

Public comment received from Ken Ruben on the display of a BNSF business train at Union Station; from Dana Gabbard on the meeting February 20 and 21 of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission; and from Sean McCarthy on the California Transportation Commission’s failure to allocate Proposition 1B funds to HOV lanes on I-405.

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:27pm.

 

Submitted by Kymberleigh Richards, CAC Secretary