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SFMTA MUNI ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (MAAC) Minutes, June 16 Present: MAAC Members: Elizabeth Dawson, Chair F. Ross Woodall, Vice-Chair Roland Wong, Secretary Les Clark, Jan Copriviza, Felton Peterson, Ed Evans, Marc Grossman, Jean Kempf, Miro Kielbus, Jeanne Lynch, Bruce Morgan, Roger Rose, Byron Yan, Kevin Lee, Joseph Flanagan SFMTA Staff: Annette Williams, Virginia Rathke, Matthew West, Peter Albert, Paul Bignardi Absent: Jan Copriviza (excused), Melvin Galloway (excused), Randall Glock (excused), Paul Vernon Smith, Jr. (excused), David Longa Meeting called to order at 1:08 p.m. Both the agenda for this meeting, and the minutes for the May 19th meeting were approved. Announcements: The Senior/Disabled BART/Muni Monthly Pass: Annette Williams announced that the SFMTA is in the process of granting a continuance to the Senior/Disabled BART/Muni Monthly Pass Pilot Program (the “P” Pass). If approved, the pilot would be extended out an additional six months, beginning August 1 and terminating on January 31, 2012. Unlike under the existing pilot program, no lottery or coupons would be required to purchase a “P” pass. Instead all that would be required is a valid form of I.D. indicating that you qualify for a discounted pass/fare (similar to what is required for Muni’s other discount passes). Our reasoning for a continuation of the pilot is to further gauge customer demand – Right now demand seems low, at about 500 passes being purchased each month. SFMTA and BART wish to see if this is a reflection of low demand for the product, or instead a reflection of the somewhat arduous process for obtaining a “P” Pass, which was present under the first 18 months of this pilot program. We hope that in eliminating the barriers to obtaining a “P” Pass, demand will go up, which will help us to justify the costs of transitioning this product onto Clipper at a later date. Passes would continue to go on sale during the 3rd week of each month; however unlike with the existing pilot, they would remain on sale until either they sell out, or the 17th of the month in which the pass is valid. 1,000 passes are to be available each month, and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Passes will be available at all three current locations, plus some additional locations to be identified later. If, at the end of the pilot, the program is deemed successful, a recommendation will be made to add this product to Clipper at a latter date. However, between the end of the pilot program in January of 2012, and a recommendation to add the product to Clipper, there will be no Senior/Disabled BART/Muni Monthly Pass offered for sale. The Ticket Kiosk at Civic Center Station: Ed Evans noticed that the ticket kiosk at Civic Center Station is closed – Why is this, and is it possible to have a presentation on this at a later date? Meeting of the Mayor’s Council on Disability: There will be a meeting of the Mayor’s Council on Disability on Friday, June 17 from 1-4 p.m. in Room 400 of City Hall. For those who wish you can call into the meeting at (415) 554-9632 Capital Action Day: Capital Action Day occurred on May 25. It went very well and was a great success! For more information on this, please go online to http://www.disabilityactioncoalition.org AC Transit’s use of Public Safety Officers: Kevin Lee reported that at a recent AC Transit Public Safety Meeting he learned that AC Transit has a dedicated staff of public safety officers – Does the SFMTA have anything like this? Can we look into establishing a program such as this, perhaps through the use of the SFPD Police Cadet Training Program? Public Comment: Nx Pilot Program: Byron Yan, acting as a member of the public, stated that Roland Wong had recently sent a letter out expressing support for the Nx Express Bus Pilot Program, and asking SFMTA to explore expanding this program to other transit lines, especially the L Taraval. Mr. Yan would like to offer up his support for this, and requested that MAAC write a letter in support of this. MAAC Outreach/Awareness: Les Clark, acting as a member of the public asked if MAAC could be made more visible --- he recently received a complaint from a passenger who uses a wheelchair that it was a pain to get on the bus, as they often receive much grief from passengers and drivers – they even stated that they may refuse to pay the fare in the future. Is there a way that MAAC can reach out to members of the non-disabled community to make them more aware of us? Proposal to make Jones St. Two-Way: Ed Evans, acting as a member of the public, stated that SFMTA is proposing to make Jones into a two-way street as part of the 5 Fulton project. He is against this project, and would like to know if there is any way to block this? FYI – Witnessed Cutting of Neck Lanyards: Jeanne Lynch, acting as a member of the public, stated that she had become aware that some unscrupulous individuals are cutting the lanyards that many senior and disabled people wear around their neck (which often contain their monthly passes, clipper cards, I.D., etc.) – Please beware. Kevin Lee stated that this is but one more example of why Muni needs to look at the use of police cadets as a dedicated public safety force. SFMTA Planning for the America’s Cup Races Peter Albert, Manager, SFMTA Urban Planning Initiatives peter.albert@sfmta.com | 415.701.4328 Peter Albert presented on planning for the America’s Cup Races, which will occur in 2012 and 2013. Two races (Known as the Louis Vuitton Cup) will occur in the Summer of 2012, and two races (America’s Cup) will occur in the fall of 2013. Most of his presentation covered the People Plan, which is one of nine plans required to be completed by the Host and Venue Agreement between the City of San Francisco and the sponsors of the America’s Cup Races. The People Plan addresses transportation issues; in covering its contents, Mr. Albert reviewed the Race Route Area and venue locations; existing transit to the area; proposed transit augmentations; and plans for bike sharing and parking. He also went through the schedule for the three progress reports that are required of the People Plan: May 19 – 1st Progress Report Due June 24 – 2nd Progress Report Due August 15 – 3rd Progress Report Due September 30 - Final Report Due For more information on the People Plan, please feel free to contact Mr. Albert directly, or go to one of the following websites/ email addresses: www.oewd.org – Use this website to provide public comment on the People Plan, and to check on project status. Email comments to americascup@sfgov.org www.americascup.com/sanfrancisco - This site will also provide you with information on the races. Miro Kielbus stated that he was concerned with transportation costs; usually these are huge and lead to an increase in fares. If this happens how do we ensure that these fares will go down? Answer: SFMTA is aiming to keep fares the same as now. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has said that they will cover any additional transportation costs associated with this event so as to cover the fare gap. Elizabeth Dawson stated that San Francisco should not be left even – this is not good; we need to have a surplus from, or a benefit from the $32 billion that this event will cost. Answer: There is an expected 1.2 Billion benefit to San Francisco Ms. Dawson went on to ask if the Environmental Study will include an examination of any impacts to the existing environment. Answer: Yes – we will cover all that is required by existing environmental laws; impacts on habitat, transit, historic structures, etc. Also, we have prioritized that this event has an all out plastic ban. Ed Evans stated that he does not want to see an interruption in normal passenger traffic other neighborhoods – such as regular riders of the 47 Line. Also, speaking of the 47 Line, one suggestion for increasing its reliability and capacity for this event was to add diamond lanes to Van Ness and increase the supply of cabs – taxi drivers are concerned that these additional cabs will not disappear after the event. Also establishing a diamond lane may bring up parking issues. Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Paul Bignardi, Sustainable Streets Division – Multimodal Planning Paul Bignardi presented on the Draft Environmental Document for the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Program. Mr. Bignardi stated that this document will be released in July. Service is planned to begin in 2015; however as of now we have not selected a preferred alternative (e.g. preferred design of the system) or looked at any vehicles to use on this system. SFMTA is only a partner in this project – The San Francisco County Transportation Agency (SFCTA) is the lead for this project. Elizabeth Dawson asked when the next meeting would be in which the public could attend. Answer: There should be one in September – Mr. Bignardi will confirm. Ms. Dawson went on to ask how this Draft Environmental Document will be released to the public for review. Answer: Copies will be available at the public library and SFMTA Offices; noticed in the newspaper; and available online. Ed Evans asked what the State and Feds. have to do with this project? Answer: The State will provide money to pave the street (as it is a state highway), that is all. The Feds. are providing funding through the Small Starts Grant Program, however this must be matched by local interties at 50% of funding – which is $75 million. The remainders of funds are coming from Prop. K Sales Tax revenue and a small amount of money from other funds. Mr. Evans went on to ask are the sewers and water mains will be replaced as part of this project. Answer: We are planning to look at the condition of the sewer; we are in the process of working on having a contract do this. Annette Williams asked if SFMTA Staff could highlight sections of interest for the MAAC. Answer: Matthew West will do this. SFMTA access recognition award Duane Allen was unable to make the meeting. Nominations were made and approved for future award recipients. MAAC member election This item was tabled until the next meeting. Old Business Matthew West proposed that we consolidate some of the existing subcommittees as many are defunct or overlapping in their duties. No members objected to this idea. Roland Wong expressed a desire to have supervisors and other individuals involved with the MAAC. New Business
Members are Roland Wong, Kevin Lee and F. Ross Woodall
Byron Yan asked if we could devote part of the MAAC meeting to this. F. Ross Woodall stated that this meeting would need to occur soon after the MAAC meeting so as to identify and obtain any speakers, information, etc. for the next meeting. Bruce Morgan asked if this could be held soon after the MAAC Meeting Other items There is a new Bike Sharing Program. Can we have a presentation on this at an upcoming meeting? Kevin Lee asked about enforcement officers on Muni. Where are they? Can we have a presentation on this? F. Ross Woodall and Roland Wong requested a brainstorm session for the next meeting on MAAC goals for the upcoming year. Meeting was adjourned at 3:02 p.m. The next MAAC meeting will be on July 21.
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