NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT RIDERS COUNCIL
MINUTES OF July 27, 2017
A meeting of the New York City Transit Riders Council (NYCTRC) was convened at 12:00 noon on July 27, 2017 in conference room D 2.10 at 2 Broadway.
The following members were present:
Andrew Albert Marisol Halpern
Stuart Goldstein Sharon King Hoge
Christopher Greif Trudy Mason
William K. Guild Edith Prentiss
Burton M. Strauss, Jr.
The following members were absent:
Scott R. Nicholls
In addition, the following persons were present:
William Henderson PCAC Executive Director
Ellyn Shannon PCAC Associate Director
Angela Bellisio PCAC Planning Manager
Bradley Brashears PCAC Transportation Planner
Karyl Cafiero PCAC Research Associate
Shawn Wong PCAC Intern
Uday Schultz PCAC Intern
Eric Wollman Aux PBA of NYC
Alan Flacks NY County Democratic Committee
William Stafford, Jr. Concerned citizen
Kevin Zeng Concerned citizen
Yvonne Morrow Concerned citizen
Jamel Gaines Concerned citizen
Omar Vera Concerned citizen
| Time Point | |
| Video Part 1 | |
| 00:45 | Approval of Agenda The agenda for the July 27, 2017 meeting were approved |
| 00:50 | E. Prentiss: Please correct misquote by K. Cafiero in previous minutes. We will check video tape |
| 03:20 | Approval of Minutes The minutes of the June 22, 2017 meeting were approved conditionally. |
| 03:35 | Chair’s Report (The Chair’s Report is attached) |
|
09:00 |
T. Mason: Have we gone on record about the cost of a ferry? A. Albert: No. We need to discuss. |
| 18:00 | Board Report |
| 19:30 | A. Albert: Discussion of MTA plan announced. Emergency water management |
| 20:40 | Seat removal pilot on L Train and Shuttle. 2 cars on each train. |
| 23:00 | System-wide station cleaning is a good idea. The MTA will hire 2700 more maintenance workers. |
| 28:00 | Longer trains on the C train. Discussion on how additional cars will impact the train’s midpoint. |
| 32:50 | Clearer service updates and communications |
| Video Part 2 | |
| 01:10 | E. Prentiss: Can car’s PA work in one station and not another? |
| 03:30 | T. Mason: there should be more communication with passengers in stations |
| 09:40 | A. Albert: Mayor’s refusal to pay is becoming an issue. City and State must come together to fund the system. |
| 15:30 | S. King-Hoge: There is an exhibit on transportation at the Museum of the City of New York. They brought up charging to park on the street |
| 16:15 | A. Albert: The President of Metro-North Railroad retired |
| 16:50 | A. Albert: Seasonal bus cuts in September. Cross town users have no alternatives. |
| 18:30 | T. Mason: Can we go on record opposing these bus cuts? |
| 21:00 | E. Shannon: One size may no longer fit all. They need to relook at loading guidelines. |
| 21:40 | A. Albert: Better a resolution opposing the reasoning behind the current way bus service is scheduled. It doesn’t represent ridership. Use Trudy’s bus routes as an example. Loss of tax income. |
| 22:50 | E. Prentiss: Buses don’t do the full run. |
| 24:50 | E. Shannon: We can ask for a report from transit for short turns for a month or two |
| 26:20 | A. Albert: Suggests some language for a resolution. Use short turning as a second example that impacts ridership |
| 27:30 | A. Albert: Vote on resolution. No one opposed |
| Action Item: Resolution opposing the reasoning behind the current way bus service is scheduled. | |
| 27:50 | Old Business |
| Election of one position on Executive Committee. Chris Grief is elected to the PCAC Executive Committee |
|
| Video Part 3 | |
| 12:15 | A. Albert introduces speaker: Danny Ilioiu, Director of Research & Development, NYCT Department of Buses to discuss the NYCT’s Electric Bus Pilot Study |
| 28:30 | D. Ilioiu: Begin revenue service by the end of 2017. |
| 30:20 | E. Prentiss: What if someone is parked in the charging space? |
| Video Part 4 | |
| 00:20 | D. Ilioiu: Pros and cons of charging on the street vs. in the depot. Pilot will figure out a lot of details. |
| 03:40 | M. Halpern: Why not a pilot in the Bronx? D. Ilioiu: Too many hills. |
| 05:40 | S. Goldstein: Have these buses been tested in other cities? D. Ilioiu: Yes, but NYC has its own unique issues. |
| 06:30 | T. Mason: Length of pilot? D. Ilioiu: Need 1 year of pilot, but will run for 3 years. After 12-18 months can begin discussions about procurement |
| 13:20 | E. Prentiss: Where does electicity come from? D. Ilioiu: New York State electricity generation: natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, non-hydro renewables. Our local grid is very clean. |
| 24:20 | Adjournment |
Meeting Videos:
Action Items:
- Resolution opposing the reasoning behind the current way bus service is scheduled.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
William Henderson