Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Ron Burzese, Jerry Doran, Linda French, R. L. Glock, Julie Maloukis, Scott Meyer, Juan Munoz via Proxy, Judy Watford
Members Absent: Robert Raines
Staff Present: John Ancira, Nancy Crowther, Denise Guerrero, Jan Johnson
Guests Present: Shawn Conley, Kris Eades, Christina Guerva, Pam Scott, Michael Zitz-Evancih
Call to Order. The Chair called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m., and directed the Secretary to take attendance. The Secretary noted that Ms. Susie Angel was present, serving as proxy to Mr. Juan Munoz who was ill.
Approval of Minutes. The Minutes of the April 5, 2006 Access Advisory Committee Meeting were approved with one exception. Mr. Scott Meyer noted a typographical error in one of his comments.
Election of Vice Chair. The Chair called for nominations to fill the open position of Vice Chair. Ms. Julie Maloukis was nominated. The vote was unanimous.
Election of Secretary. The Chair called for nominations and/or volunteers to fill the open position of Secretary. There were none. Ms. Julie Maloukis agreed to continue to serve on a very temporary basis. Ms. Judy Watford agreed to assist as possible.
Recruitment of New Members. The Chair noted the Attendance Policy as stated in the Access Committee Bylaws. It was noted that Mr. Robert Raines has missed more than three meetings without sending a proxy and that, according to the Bylaws, he had been removed from the Access Advisory Committee. The Chair asked Ms. Nancy Crowther to announce the vacancy to the community and to make an application available to interested parties. Applications will be accepted through June 9, 2007. A selection committee will be discussed further at the June Access Advisory Meeting. It was noted that the new member would be selected to serve for the remainder of Mr. Raines' term, which will expire September 30, 2007.
Member Terms. The Chair clarified the expiration of Access Advisory Member terms. The first group of members were appointed in spring 2004 and served through September 2005. They all agreed to serve a second term, which began in October 2005 and will continue through September 2007. The second group of members was appointed in October 2004 for a two-year term, which will continue through September 2006.
It was noted that members whose terms expire in September 2006 are required to notify the Chair and the Staff Liaison in writing prior to August 31, 2006 if they wish to serve a second term. These members include Mr. Ron Burzese, Ms. Linda French, Ms. Julie Maloukis and Ms. Judy Watford.
Chair Report. The Chair stated that she did not attend the most recent Board Meeting due to illness. She announced the results of recent Subcommittee officer elections. The STS Paratransit Subcommittee has elected Jerry Doran to serve as its chair. The Fixed Route Subcommittee has elected Mr. R. L. Glock to serve as its chair.
Subcommittee Reports.
STS Paratransit. Mr. Jerry Doran, Chair, reported the status of the Committee. He reported that Capital Metro intends to slow down the changes previously proposed by Staff. Mr. John provided more information about this matter. There was considerable discussion about the affect changes in policy would have on ridership. A motion was made and seconded to ask that proposals for change to current policy be provided to Access in writing so that Access can work together with Metro to affect smooth and efficient implementation of changes. Mr. Johnson noted that the STS annual budget process is underway. Drafts will be available in the June/July time frame. Proposals will be put before the Board in August 2007. Members requested that Mr. Johnson resume his presentation of the Monthly Variance Report to the Access Advisory Committee.
Fixed Route. Mr. R. L. Glock, Chair, led the discussion. August route changes are now available online and members were encouraged to review them. The proposals were also reviewed at the April meeting of the Fixed Route subcommittee, and were generally viewed positively. Ms. Julie Maloukis asked for more frequent stops on the Route 201. She also asked for Saturday service. Mr. Glock stated that the fixed route changes might cause schedule delays.
Mr. Glock also led some discussion about the Disability Fare Cards. He notes that all Access members are testing card use. There are still some minor software issues. Mr. Glock stated that all Access members are being asked to participate in a test to verify that the cards are working. Mr. Glock asked members to be patient with drivers as the use and test the card and to notify him at once if problems arise.
There was some discussion that community members may be leery of using the disability card because it contains data that will allow Cap Metro to collect private information and about every rider. Mr. Johnson stated that Cap Metro does not intend to use the cards to collect private information about riders. Members asked that Cap Metro present this information to the public, perhaps in the form of a flyer that could be mailed to the public. Members requested that all transportation information be presented in an easy to real, very clear format. The above was put into a motion, made by Judy Watford and agreed to unanimously: "The Access committee strongly recommends and requests that no information from the disability fare card be used in determining STS eligibility, and further requests that no information from the fare card to be used to ascertain the travel patterns of an individual user. The staff has stated that information will be used to provide Capital Metro with general statistics concerning the entire disability group. Individual privacy should be respected. We urge the board to adopt a policy to this effect, and to instruct staff accordingly."
Ms. Guerrero stated that drivers are being trained to request the new Disability Fare Cards and to ask that users remove the card from the clear plastic sleeve. Ms. Maloukis stated that this would be a difficult task for some individuals. Ms. Angel indicated that she felt all riders should have an opportunity to use the cards. She stated that drivers should not automatically hit the disabled boarding button. Ms. Crowther announced that she would invite Barney Sifuentes to the next meeting to clarify this.
Goals and Projects: The Chair led a discussion about Access Committee Goals.
The Chair spoke of her intention to continue to pursue a sort of Technology Summit with Cap Metro, to present goals and technology currently available. Ms. Judy Watford agreed to help with this effort.
Ms. Julie Maloukis spoke of the need to clarify the current STS policies, stating that they need to be re-written in a clear, easy to follow format. After discussion, the Chair appointed Ms. Maloukis to Chair an Adhoc Committee to address this. Mr. Jerry Doran and Ms. Linda French were also appointed to the committee. Members suggested that the Adhoc Committee begin with the "How to Ride" information. Mr. Scott Meyer offered to help by reviewing drafts.
Citizen Communication.
Mr. Kris Eades. Mr. Eades addressed the committee about issues relating to the STS cancellation policy, the use of audible crossing technology, and proposed changes to the taxi voucher program. He suggested that expediting payments to taxi drivers for vouchers might result in more drivers who are willing to take STS passengers.
Mr. Shawn Conley. Mr. Conley cautioned the committee to beware of using Disability Fare Cards to track individual riders. He stated concern that the cards could be used to deny STS service if riders are found to use Fixed Route service on a regular basis. He also questioned the proposed changes to limit service to ADA trips. He also stated a desire to have STS reservations and cancellations available on the internet.
Mr. Michael Zitz-Evancih. Mr. Zitz-Evancih addressed the committee about the Saltillo Plaza meeting. He presented a large map of the ADA service area and stated that he felt it would be helpful to have more maps available for customers to review.
Announcements. May 15, 2006 - Regional Planning Meeting at Temple Beth Israel May 15, 2006 - Disability Fare Card Exchange Program available to the community May 24, 2006 - STS and Fixed Route Subcommittee Meetings. June 7, 2006 - June meeting of the Access Advisory Committee June 28, 2006 - STS and Fixed Route Subcommittee Meetings. July 5, 2006 - Access Meeting Cancelled July 12, 2006 - July meeting of the Access Advisory Committee.
Note. The Access Meetings scheduled for July was changed from July 5 to July 12 due to the July 4 holiday. It was noted at the time that four of the nine remaining members would not be available to attend on July 12.
Meeting Adjourned. The Chair adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted, Julie Maloukis, Acting Secretary
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200 | (800) 474-1201