CAT COMMITTEE-june 09

ATTACHMENT A

MINUTES OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBLE
June 17, 2009
9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
WORLD TRADE CENTER
BUILDING 2, MEZZANINE ROOM 5
25 SW SALMON, PORTLAND, OR

CAT minutes may be obtained in alternate formats by calling TriMet’s
Accessible Transportation Program Administrative Offices: (503) 802-
8200/TTY 802-8058, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weekdays

Attendees: Jan Campbell, Chair; Trish Baker, Lina Bensel, John Betts,
Stan Lewis, Zoe Presson, Claudia Robertson, Albert Rouse, Terry Watson,
Robert Williams

Staff: Josh Collins, Kathy Miller, Allen Morgan

Guests: Leon Chavarria-Aguilar, Christina Cooper, Marie Katem, Arnold
Panitch, Chris Walker

Jan Campbell, Chair, called the meeting to order.


APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AND 5-20-09 MINUTES

Jan asked for approval of the agenda.

Trish Baker made a motion to approve the agenda. The motion was
seconded and passed unanimously.

Jan asked for suggestions for the new format of the meeting minutes.
Claudia Robertson mentioned using “follow-up” instead of “action item.”

Jan requested Allen Morgan to follow up to ensure that The Nines hotel is
incorporated in the list of hotels that TriMet sends information to. Allen
asked for additional locations of where information should go.

CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 2

Jan inquired if the transit mall shelters were going to have benches. Josh
replied that the current benches are temporary. The permanent seating will
be attached to the windscreens to ensure convenience and accessibility.

Trish Baker made a motion to approve the minutes with the addition
about the transit mall shelter benches. The motion was seconded and
passed unanimously.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR

Jan informed CAT members that Marie Sowers resigned due to health
issues. A card will be sent to her from CAT members.

The CAT will begin a second recruitment process to fill the vacancy.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS

Jan mentioned Ride Connection would like CAT’s endorsement on House
Bill 2069. Claudia reported Special Needs transportation relies almost
solely on the cigarette tax, which is declining, and the House is looking for
an alternative source of income. Elders In Action and the Regional
Transportation Coordinating Commission endorse this decision. CAT is
being asked to write a letter in support of House Bill 2069.

Stan Lewis stated in terms of process he is opposed to a public body
making rush decisions because not all people may understand the pros
and cons of how it could affect the people they represent.

Kathy Miller commented that the request for the CAT’s support should have
directed through staff so that the request could have been addressed in its
entirety and information could have been included in the packet. She
suggested CAT members could send letters of support individuals.

Robert Williams suggested that the CAT send a letter to the TriMet
Government Affairs office to show their support.

Claudia made a motion for CAT to write a letter to the TriMet
Government Affairs Office within TriMet in support of House Bill 2069,
which will direct money to Special Needs transportation. The motion
CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 3

was seconded and passed with two abstention (Lina Bensel, Albert
Rouse) and one opposed (Stan Lewis).


STAFF COMMENTS

Josh Collins said CAT members are invited to experience the new
modifications made to the Type IV light rail vehicle on Monday, June 22nd
between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. at the Rose Quarter MAX station.

Stan suggested that it could be best for the agency to arrange for the
vehicle to be studied by individuals representing the ridership who have
experience in future vehicle purchases.

Josh provided an update on the changes to the ADA boundary as a result
of the September 2009 service cuts affecting Line 153. He said LIFT active
customers who now would be outside the boundary would receive a
continuation of service. TriMet is hopeful that the service changes are
temporary and that service might be able to be restored at some future
point.

Robert requested that staff send a letter to the mayor of Oregon City
naming the recipients of continued LIFT service.

Follow-up Item:
1. Josh Collins agreed said a letter would be sent to the mayor of
Oregon City.

Josh stated John Hunt would continue as the president of the ATU.

Josh reviewed the memo from Steve Banta in regards to Ted Newton’s lay-
off from the organization. Steve will update the CAT of any future changes
with ATP.

Kathy announced the CAT luncheon would begin immediately following the
meeting. She added that beginning in July, the CAT Work Session and
Business meetings would be held at the Portland Building.


CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 4

PUBLIC COMMENT

Arnold Panitch requested that bus schedules be posted on the mall. A
number of stops do not have schedules.

Follow-up Item:

1. Allen Morgan will follow-up on schedule postings at the stops.

Chris Walker suggested adding some extra time to monthly passes for low-
income people that rely on monthly checks to purchase their new monthly
pass. He also requested TriMet look at doing same day rides for LIFT
passengers.

Follow-up Item:
1. Kathy Miller will forward his comment about the monthly passes
to Marketing staff.
2. Kathy Miller will forward the suggestion about same day rides
for LIFT to Susan Florentino, ATP.

Leon Chavarria-Aguilar commented that it would be helpful to have
brochures that contain maps of the new mall for people to read at their own
leisure.

Leon mentioned that it might be helpful to have a person of ethnicity at the
Northeast Portland TriMet office to make it more appealing for people to
come to confidently seek an answer in their own language.


REVIEW OF CAT ACTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS
REPORT – Jan Campbell, Chair

Claudia questioned the list of consumers and representatives on page
three of the CAT actions and recommendations status report. Kathy
clarified that would be changed to “all members and all recommendations.”

The new members have been notified, but reappointment letters have not
been sent out to existing CAT members due to the pending approval of the
CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 5

CAT bylaws at the June 24 Board meeting. Term limits will be set based
on the bylaw changes.

New CAT members include:
• Leon Chavarria-Aguilar
• Patricia Kepler
• Arnold Panitch
• Beth Rehm

Jan asked if the CAT had made a formal recommendation about the
eligibility process moving forward.

Follow-up item:

1. Kathy Miller will verify if a recommendation was made in regards to
the eligibility process improvements.


CAT REPORTS – Jan Campbell, Facilitator

CAT Public Work Session – June 2nd, 2009
• Trish mentioned the date for the July meeting should be July 15th, not
July 17th. (pg 6)

Follow-up Item
1. Kathy will correct the date on Page 6 of the June 2nd Public Work
Session minutes to July 15th. The minutes will be approved at the
July 7th Public Work Session.

Terry Watson commented the LIFT performance report statistics on
complaints being down 40 percent is good, and he noticed a reduction in
LIFT ridership. Jan mentioned the drop could be because of the
discontinuation of the transportation contract with Multnomah County, and
the increase in the unemployment rate. Kathy added that there has also
been an increased effort to LIFT applicants of their transportation options in
addition to LIFT.



CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 6

PUBLIC COMMENT

Marie Katem recapped a recent appointment for which she had scheduled
a will call for LIFT. The dispatcher had told her that a cab would be sent,
but she had indicated that she had a cart that would not fold up so it would
be best to send a bus. A cab and a bus arrived for her due to
miscommunication. She also expressed interest in becoming more
involved with CAT.


MALL SERVICE UPDATE – Josh Collins, Manager, Communications;
Allen Morgan, Manager, Transportation Operations Training

Josh and Allen provided an update on the mall service.

• Mall bus service began on May 24th.
• MAX operators are in training on the new mall.
• There have been no incidents or accidents between buses, trains, LIFT
vehicles, or cars.
• There have been no incidents of a LIFT operator needing a supervisor to
remain with the vehicle to service a stop on the mall.
• Operators have made exceptionally positive comments about the mall.
• Initial feedback from MAX operators has been that mall operations are
working well throughout the training period.
• The Yellow Line begin service on the mall on August 30th, and the Green
Line begins service on September 12th.
• Shelters are being constructed along the mall.
• There is a concern for cyclist and pedestrian safety on the mall.
Jaywalkers, skateboarders, and cyclists will be fined for unsafe conduct
on the mall.

CAT Comments:
• There is still concern about the distance between bus stops. Once MAX
becomes active on the mall people will have more options to travel to
the next stop.
• A Line 35 stop has been installed at the OHSU parking lot for their
shuttle. Ride Connection would like follow-up on their request for a stop
at 3030 SW Moody Avenue.

CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 7

Follow-up Item:
1. Josh Collins will follow up request for a bus stop at 3030 SW
Moody Avenue (Ride Connection location).


OPERATIONS UPDATE – Josh Collins, Manager, Communications

Highlights of the presentation included:

• TriMet is likely to be faced with an additional round of service cuts to be
implemented in late November. There will be another round of public
hearings and open houses and the proposed changes will be outlined in
detail.
• Fareless Square will most likely be included in the changes, but a final
decision has not been made.
• CAT will be notified of the dates for the next open houses as soon as
possible.
• The next round of service adjustments will not include the elimination of
any bus lines.
• Frequent service lines will be adjusted by adding two to five minutes in
the non-peak periods, i.e., if a line runs every 15 minutes, it could be
adjusted to running every 17 minutes.
• Portland Streetcar has also experienced a budget reduction and they
are responsible for determining their service schedules.
• WES service will not be reduced. The ridership is still growing, but is
facing the challenge of significant layoffs in the Wilsonville area.
• Savings are being made by directly reducing the number of service
hours and the number of vehicle hours. TriMet is hopeful that there will
be no lay-offs of any frontline employees. No new operators have been
hired since January.

CAT Comments:
• It was suggested that laminated signs be used at outlying bus stops to
inform customers of route frequency. It can be difficult to know bus
arrival times for hourly service.

CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 8

FIXED ROUTE SECUREMENT POLICY – Allen Morgan, manager,
Transportation Operations Training

Allen stated that TriMet has a growing concern regarding safety issues with
non-secured mobility devices. Fred Hansen, General Manager, has asked
CAT to review TriMet’s policy.

Other highlights of the presentation included:

• On January 21, 1999, CAT made a report to TriMet on the securement
policy and a recommendation for optional securement.
• Questions to be considered in the policy review:
o Is a policy mandating four-point securement appropriate or
necessary?
o What is the minimum level of securement that is acceptable?
o Can customers be given more choice in the level of securement
without increased risk of injury?
o Should bus operators continue to be vested with the
responsibility for decisions on whether or not to provide service
when passengers refuse securement?
• There have been changes in equipment, newer buses, and securement
systems.
• A panel investigates accident reviews and decides if an accident is
chargeable to the operator. Many of the accidents where passengers
fell were from mobility devices falling over.
• The training department has strong concerns about securement and
would like to discuss recommendations.

CAT Comments:
• CAT members interested in subcommittee participation should inform
staff at the next work session.
• Materials should be sent in advance to the CAT to allow for review.
• There is a concern that there are mobility devices, especially scooters,
that may be unable to be secured safely.
• It was suggested that the fixed route securement policy be consistent
with LIFT’s policy.
CAT Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2009
Page 9

• Some customers may be concerned about operators invading their
space when securing a mobility device.
• Health issues due to the cleanliness of mobility devices may be a
concern when providing securement.

Follow-up item:

1. Allen Morgan proposed forming a subcommittee to review the
fixed route securement policy. Members would review current
ADA regulations and guidelines in regards to the issue, compare
them to TriMet’s current policy, and bring recommendations back
to the full CAT for action.

CAT General Comments

• Schedules should continue to be posted in fixed route stations since
some do not have cell phones to check Transit Tracker. If the headway
were 30 minutes or more between buses, it would be best to have a full
scheduled posted instead of only service intervals.
• There are concerns about possible service adjustments for the LIFT
program. While there has not been a proposal made at this time, CAT
should be prepared for adjustments to LIFT as well as fixed route.

Jan thanked all departing CAT members for their service to CAT.


ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:45 a.m.