Time: 10:00 AM
MICA (1300 West Mount Royal Avenue)
Transit Choices Bus Work Group Meeting Summary
Attendees: Mark Heishman, Rufus Davis, Raven Thompson, Robin Budish, Jill Sorensen
We convened at the MICA Bunting Center at 10:00 a.m. and began our discussion of topic reports. Bus Work Group Quick Hit categories define most of what we are working on, with different Work Group members leading the charge on different issues.
Topic reports:
1. Transportation Summit meeting on June 30, 2015
Mark Heishman reported that the June 30 Transportation Summit was well attended by transportation professionals in the Baltimore area. Topics of discussion included shared stops, who is part of the Collegetown network currently and who is not, number of vehicles in respective fleets, annual budgets, costs per passenger, challenges and ideas for improvements. Attendees discussed ways to reduce overall operating and maintenance expenses, reduce risk and liability, reduce congestion at shared stops and on streets, universal signage, increase operating efficiencies and explore national safety programs delivered on a local level. Mark shared that the group will continue to get together periodically as participants can learn from and renew collaborations across various providers.
2. Transit Choices news
Robin reported on various meetings and updates with Transit Choices overall. She summarized a recent meeting with Paul Comfort, new MTA Director, who will speak to Transit Choices at the September meeting. Transit stakeholders are discussing alternative transit planning in the wake of the Red Line. It is more important than ever to keep the Transit Choices coalition together, informed and collaborating because one of the biggest challenges is just keeping track of different groups and jurisdictions working on transit! Robin and Jimmy have done a great job pulling different groups together and keeping transit planners talking. We need to continue this important alliance development and will do so going forward.
3. Transit Hub planning
Jill reported on advanced in Transit Hub planning and mapping. Draft Transit Hub maps are attached showing proposed phased development of transit hubs in Baltimore synchronized with the City’s bike-share roll-out in 2016.
Action items – Jill will distribute meeting notes and Doodle poll for next Bus Work Group meeting that will be in mid-October. Topic leaders are encouraged to highlight and communicate top 3-5 issues, challenges and goals for improving things in their topic area in 2016, and try to make progress on planning for those improvements by the end of the calendar year 2015.
TC Bus Work Group Quick Hits (see: transitchoices.org/work-groups/):
- Enhanced maps accessible both physically and electronically (Michael Walk)
- GPS tracking for real-time data. (Michael Walk)
- Advocacy for Circulator extensions. (Summit Group)
- Require fixed-route public transit providers to publish schedule data using General Transit Feed Specification. (Philip LaCombe)
- Improve bus rider experience with clear road markings, resurfacing, and enhanced lighting. (Ciara Willis)