10
Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA. 02116-3968
Voice:
617-973-7100, Fax: 617-973-8855, TDD: 671-973-7089, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org
AACT Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
On
December 19 the AACT Executive Board will meet from 10:00 AM to noon in the
Transportation Library, 2nd Floor, State Transportation Building and
the full Membership will meet from 1:00 PM to 3 PM in Conference Rooms 2 and 3
on the 2nd Floor, State Transportation Building
AACT
has a page on the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) website
at www.bostonmpo.org; click
on AACT. Links can be found there for the following items: agendas, upcoming
meetings, past meeting minutes, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between
the MBTA and AACT, and the AACT bylaws, the AACT brochure, and ADA regulations.
There are also links to the MPO’s newsletter, TRANSreport, the MBTA’s Office for Transportation Access, and the AACT
Coordinator.
Comments
and questions concerning AACT should be directed to the Acting Interim Chairman
James White by contacting AACT Coordinator, Ms. Janie Guion, at 617-973-7507
(voice); 617-973-7089 (TDD); 617-973-8855 (fax); or at AACT@ctps.org (email).
The AACT meetings are conducted in accessible
locations, and materials can be provided in accessible formats and in languages
other than English. If you would like accessibility or language accommodation,
please contact Ms. Guion at the information above.
The
MPO fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related
statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. The MPO does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, English proficiency,
income, religious creed, ancestry, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, or military service. Any person who believes
herself/himself or any specific class of persons has been subjected to
discrimination prohibited by Title VI or related statutes or regulations may
herself/himself, or via a representative, file a written complaint with the
MPO. A complaint must be filed no later than 180 calendar days after the date
on which the person believes the discrimination occurred.
Members
needing service information or wanting to inquire about MBTA services should do
so through the MBTA Marketing and Communications Department at 617-222-3200 or 800-392-6100, TTY 617-222-5146,
Monday through Friday 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Sat/Sun from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, or the MBTA
website at www.mbta.com/customer_support/feedback/.
You may contact THE RIDE at the
Office for Transportation Access, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM, to ask for a
trip/fare history of trips you have taken. You may also file a complaint here
if you feel you have been overcharged. Please telephone 617-222-5123 (Voice),
617-222-6119 (fax) or 1-800-533-6282 (voice, toll-free), 617-222-5415 (TTY) or
email theride@mbta.com
Your checks for MBTA THE RIDE
travel should include your account ID number and should be addressed to:
MBTA
Office for
Transportation Access
10 Park Plaza
Suite
5000
Boston, MA 02116
Please
sign in at all meetings.
Announcements
are always welcome. Please be prepared to give as many details as possible:
date, time, location, contact person, and phone number. A written notice is
appreciated.
Ian
Perrault, Kathryn Piccard, James White, Richard Mahoney, Marilyn MacNab, John
Capuccio, Mary Dennesen, Mary Ann Murray, Reginald Clark, and Rev. Ellen Frith
Daniel
Amstutz, David Fargen, and Janie Guion
Frank
Oglesby, Kathleen Balerna, Paul Fitzgerald, Larry Haile, Mike Hulak, Carol
Joyce-Harrington, and Tim Davis
Kevin MacDonald – Veterans
Transportation, LLC
Ray
Croteau and Randy Hendrickson – Greater Lynn Senior Services
Claire
DiPillo - The Joint Venture of Thompson Transit and YCN, LLC
Other
Theadora
Fisher-Health and Human Services
Interim
Chairman James White (IC White) called the meeting to order at 1:01 PM
Members,
friends and guests introduced themselves
M. MacNab expressed her
concern as to how to identify the changes.
AACT Coordinator
noted
that the changes to text are in italics; the old text is crossed out but still
identifiable and that revised copies will go to everyone.
IC White reported on a variety of
items. Here are a few highlights with the report attached:
·
He
was unable to attend a Recertification Training at the Charlestown Garage due
to the October storm
·
The
opening of the In-Person Assessment (IPA) facility will possibly be in late. He
speculated it would be late November or early December, though the actual date
is not confirmed
-AACT Board is waiting to have a tour of the
IPA facility in Charlestown and observe
the mock demonstration
He then asked for questions. None were
asked.
Kathleen
Balerna, Deputy Director of Bus Operations, began her career with the MBTA
twenty years ago as a bus operator and has worked her way up through the ranks
to her current position.
She
stated that she can view both sides of her job since she began as a bus
operator.
Ms. Balerna began by addressing a variety of concerns.
The main items discussed were:
- MassDOT
officials have been notified through MBTA Special Order not to block bus stops
with either company or personal vehicles. They will be access the $100 find and
reprimanded.
- Monitoring
continues: an additional bus sign added with a $100 fine has been posted
- Still no
progress on removal of city-owned items; work is ongoing with the City of Boston
- Removal of a
U.S. Postal Box and other boxes: newspaper boxes have been relocated; contact
for postal box removal unsuccessful; Ms. Balerna will continue work on the
issue
- The test
program to block out certain bus stops with paint and pavement marking (identify
as a no parking zone) is on hold due to budget constraints. Ms. Berlerna stated
that they are looking at this as a pilot program. If successful they will
continue the program
- Ms. Balerna
addressed issues of: sensitivity, safety, monitoring bus operator and complaints
about bus operator. She also addressed comments from members on issues of
pulling into the curb and kneeling the bus, courtesy before moving bus, and
making sure that seats are lowered, especially to help the visually impaired
- ADA
announcements to extend courtesy to seniors and persons with disabilities are
on buses and trains
She
then took questions.
M. MacNab asked for the
number of the bus stop at Charles Street West. She also suggested that Ms.
Balerna contact Ms. K. McKosh who is Boston’s Commissioner on Disability. The
Commissioner may be able to provide contacts for resolving these issues. She suggested
that Ms. Berlerna speak to Dave Carney.
K. Berlerna thanked her
for the information.
R. Mahoney commented on
the MBTA Bus Improvement Plan and felt it was not going to work with the Bus Route
66.
K. Berlerna stated that both
Bus Routes 66 and 57 are being reviewed.
R. Clark commented
that buses travel in packs. He said that when they all arrive at the same time
some will continue on and you miss the bus you were waiting for.
K. Berlerna said that Bus
Route 66 is heavily monitored by Bus Operations and operators are given the
okay to drive by a stop when there are several stacked together.
R. Clark suggested that
bus operators should be reminded to tell passengers not to seat little kids on
the black equipment on the left box as you enter the bus.
K. Berlerna thanked him
for the comment.
IC White stated that
while at Forest Hills he was waiting to board and the Inspector and the bus
operator did not enforce the pre-boarding rule for allowing persons in
wheeled-mobility devices to board first.
K. Berlerna stated that she
will research the problem.
R. Clark stated that he
is visually impaired and he travels alone. He said that when exits the bus he has found
that the bus operator has stopped the bus fifteen feet behind or ahead of the stop,
or at a mailbox, or a fire hydrant.
K. Berlerna asked for the
location.
R. Clark said the area
is in Brookline.
IC White asked if she had
any information on the Bus Stop Improvement Plan implementation.
K. Berlerna said that
would be the Service Planning Department. She would contact Erik Scheier in
that department.
IC White thanked Ms.
Berlerna for her presentation.
K. Berlerna thanked the AACT
Membership for the invitation to speak.
Larry
Haile, SWA Coordinator, distributed his report and reported that there was no additional
information since the report was completed.
He emphasized information given during
Ms. Balerna presentation regarding ADA priority seating and automated
announcements for fixed route vehicles.
He then asked for questions.
R.
Clark
asked
for his thoughts on the ADA priority seating announcements.
L. Haile stated he
would like to have announcements at every station as in the Washington, D.C.
train system that inform passengers of the train arrival times every two
minutes.
IC
White asked Mr. Haile to give an elevator update on recent
outages and the ongoing elevator project.
L Haile said that
anyone can call the Elevator Update line at 1-800-392-6100 or 1-617-222-2828 to
get information.
I. Perrault asked for an
update of the automated phone system for MBTA scheduling.
L. Haile stated that
the system is in the planning stages; he noted that as more information is
developed he will keep AACT informed.
I C White asked that Mike Festa be aware that the Membership would like an update
on the Government Center Project (GCP). He is interested in the timeframe of
work to be done on GCP.
L.
Haile stated
he would inform Mr. Festa.
Frank
Oglesby, MBTA Deputy Director of Paratransit Operations – OTA, THE RIDE
Mr.
Oglesby distributed the October 2012 reports for THE RIDE and had no further
updates.
· Mr. Oglesby
expressed his gratitude to the contractors from Greater Lynn Senior Services
(GLSS), the Joint Venture of Thompson Transit and YCN (JV), and Veterans
Transportation (VT) who worked tirelessly on Monday, October 29 during
Hurricane Sandy making sure all THE RIDE passengers were returned home safely.
· He also
expressed appreciation to his OTA staff for reporting to work also during the
storm.
· He announced
that GLSS has named a new Director of Transportation, Mr. Randy Hendrickson.
He then asked for questions.
I C White questioned whether a fifteen percent
decrease in ridership was correct.
M. Hulak indicated the data would need to be
verified.
IC
White thanked Mr. Oglesby
for his comments. He also
appreciated everyone’s hard work.
Kevin MacDonald,
Project Manager, distributed his report and stated the following
information.
· The storm caused
downed telephone lines and a loss of electrical power. All problems have since
been corrected
· VT is in
negotiation with StratGen for new software development
·
Passenger
Assistance Training will be the first three Tuesdays in December. There will no
training Christmas Eve.
He was available for questions.
R. Morin asked about the new software and whether VT is seeing increased efficiency in scheduling.
K. MacDonald responded no, but he expects to. He stated that the map data is slightly different. The maps have not been made public.
R. Morin asked what problems VT was having with the premium service area.
K. MacDonald stated that VT has had less recompiling of the schedule due to the time changes. He stated that fewer customers asking for changes has had a positive effect.
IC White asked about the one major benefit from moving from the old software to the new software. He also wanted to know about on-time performances.
K. MacDonald stated that the system runs faster. He explained that on-time performance is at 99 percent.
The New Director of Transportation, Randy Hendrickson, distributed
his report.
On
his first day in his new position he encountered many problems: a power
outage that interrupted computers due to a storm; the 800 telephone lines were
interrupted also due to the storm; and the electrical circuits were accidentally
flipped off by the janitorial service.
His staff scheduled all trips for THE
RIDE manually, the old way with pen to paper.
He
asked for questions. There were none.
IC
White thanked Mr. Hendrickson for his comments and welcomed him to his new position.
Claire DiPillo, Manager for the Joint Venture, submitted her report and had no further
updates.
She was
available for questions.
IC White asked if ridership for JV was back to normal since
the fare increase.
C. DiPillo stated that the ridership is increasing. She stated
that as of today the number is 2000 trips.
M. Hulak interjected that as of
today, trips for THE RIDE are at their highest.
IC White asked if JV had rehired any drivers since the
layoff.
C. DiPillo responded that new drivers would begin the Monday
after Thanksgiving.
IC White thanked
Ms. Dipillo for the information.
C. DiPillo responded with a thank you and wished everyone Happy
Holidays.
R. Clark announced new train
service from Boston to Brunswick and Portland, Maine. For complete details contact
Amtrak.
M. Hulak announced
that the MBTA will be purchasing 104 Crown Victorias for THE RIDE Program. He
stated that sedans are not being eliminated from THE RIDE.
Open
Discussion
IC White asked if
someone with a neck injury could request a sedan since vans have no headrest. He
asked if this would influence how a trip is booked. He asked if this type of
circumstance would make an allowance for a sedan.
M. Hulak answered that
it would not and that the ADA requires only that the MBTA make accessible
transportation available.
Rev. Frith stated that she continues to see vehicles blocking
the bus stop at 10 Park Plaza-Charles Street entrance. She was unable to access
the bus stop due to an unmarked cruiser blocking the stop. She called for
police to ticket the vehicle. She feels not enough is being done to address the
issue. She wants a special meeting to talk about the issues of concern to the
membership.
IC White stated that
the Deputy Director of Bus Operations made a presentation speaking on the issue
of blocked bus stops. He told her she missed a lot of details presented by Ms.
Balerna regarding blocked bus stop issues.
Rev. Frith went on to say
that reporting complaints to Customer Communication at the 222-3200 number is
not working. She stated that she reports elevator lights being out and bus stop
signs being removed. She noted that buses don’t stop where there is no sign. She
would like there to be a point person who would make sure that complaints are
being responded to and the work is completed. She also stated that she has
spoken with the Director of System-Wide Accessibility regarding this issue. She
is furious that she has to wait four months for repairs and still no repairs
have been completed. She stated that follow-up calls are received four months
later. She would like to have a special meeting to find out how AACT can be
more effective. She would like to have
the Secretary of Transportation come to address her issues.
IC White stated that he
has filed a complaint to the MBTA regarding the 10 Park Plaza, Charles Street stop
being blocked is not always reported by bus operators as a blocked bus stop. He
stated that his complaint was responded to and the Bus Operations Deputy
Director is here with us today. He feels that there are people who are taking initiative
and people are showing up to address the issues.
Rev. Frith stated that
she was just told by a bus operator and a transit officer that they have had no
ADA or sensitivity training for persons with disabilities except for the visually
impaired. She would like for the AACT Board to know this information.
IC White stated that
all MBTA personnel have been trained in ADA or the sensitivity training. He stated
that the training is an eight hour course and that he was part of its development
with Judge Patrick King. He stated that all MBTA personnel were trained.
IC White informed K.
Piccard that her motion to have more information added to THE RIDE report has
been responded to.
M. Hulak stated that a
motion presented by K. Piccard for more information to be added to THE RIDE
report has been added to the OTA Activity Report.
K. Piccard
said that the concerns raised by Ellen Frith are legitimate about the number of
times the bus stop and other issues are addressed. She went on to say that
there are some complaints that are responded to and some items that are not
always responded to in a timely manner. She went on to mention that IC White
stated how he reports problems and they are responded to in a timely manner.
She remarked that her stated complaints are not always addressed in a timely
manner. She said when there is a broken light for instance, it is important for
people with low vision or unsteady footing to have that lighting replaced. She
stated that waiting four months to get lights replaced is unacceptable and
these issues need to be addressed sooner. These concerns are absolutely
legitimate. She suggested that it would be useful for AACT to have a special
meeting for people to express new ideas. She believes that if the appropriate
people were listening perhaps the concerns could be better addressed although
she was quick to say that she understands that some issues may not be doable. She
also noted that if the appropriate
people are not there to listen then the concerns should be addressed to the
appropriate MBTA personnel in writing.
IC White stated that
during the AACT Board meeting a number of issues were discussed. He stated that
they are in the process of sending out letters to set up meetings with the new
MBTA General Manager. He stated that Michael Lambert will be coordinating a
meeting with new MBTA General Manager and the outgoing Acting General Manager.
He also stated that Rick Morin, Board Member, will be developing a list of
concerns to be addressed that have been raised by the membership over the
entire year. He also said that he addresses all concerns from the meetings when
he has the opportunity to meet with the General Manager.
R. Morin stated that
he is in the process of creating a priority list so that the AACT Board can be
held accountable. He stated the Board plans to have regularly scheduled
meetings with MBTA management to address the issues. He plans to revise the
list as they go forward. He stated the input heard today is well taken.
IC White stated that the
next AACT meeting, which is not normally
scheduled for December, will be held on Wednesday,
December 19th due to the many pressing issues on the table.
The meeting ended at 3:05 pm.