Attendance: Fred Moore (presiding), Romin Koebel, Ernest Loewenstein, Carolyn Mieth, and Barry M. Steinberg.

Guests: Barry D. Andelman

Pre-meeting discussion:

Barry Andelman: A proper goal is for APT to be quoted. And if we make ourselves experts on a small number of high visibility projects, we can make ourselves more visible and effective and therefore attract activists. We must be quoted by third parties. How do we connect with people who have more clout than we do so that (1) The issue at hand will not go away and (2) It will make it more likely that we make ourselves more influential [in the furtherance of APT purposes]?

Fred Moore reported on transit in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and France. Among other features, he remarked about one-minute passenger train connections that actually work! Of course, it is the passenger’s responsibility to step lively.

The meeting was called to order at 6:19 p.m.

1. Minutes of the previous meeting (9 Jul 03) were approved.

2. Transit Advocacy.

Fred Moore: At the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (RTAC), there was a discussion of the concept of design/build, which under some circumstances can speed up and/or facilitate the construction process. This is often used on highway projects, but what about on transit projects? Our comments are getting into the minutes.

Romin Koebel: In the minutes of the previous RTAC meeting, why wasn’t it possible to connect the Green Line with Phase II Silver Line? Why should the policy be transit from the Convention Center [and the Airport] to Roxbury, for which there is no great demand for through service? Why not the Convention Center to Boylston Street, where the hotels are?

Ernest Loewenstein: Connect the Green Line with the Blue Line. He wants the Green Line to go to the Airport, for a single-seat ride.

An e-mail arrived from Dan Wilson of Move Massachusetts: Transportation planners from Stuttgart, Germany, have been invited by MIT and Move Mass. to visit Boston. They are concerned with the single-seat ride as a criterion in land use planning. Would APT be interested in any way in hosting them? Barry Andelman: What would we want them to discuss? The Stuttgart transit system: The single-seat ride and the easy transit connection. The Stuttgart people should be able to make a presentation to the MBTA, with us wangling an invitation to be present, rather than preaching to the converted. And legislators should be invited as well. Romin would have to contact the Stuttgart people to see if they are available to make a presentation to this audience.

The Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee (Anne Fanton, Executive Director) was discussing with Romin a possible meeting with [T General Manager] Mulhern and Doug Foy.

Romin is going to be teaching a BU course on smart growth. We at APT may have the opportunity to shape this.

Barry Steinberg: We have been making ourselves very valuable to Move Mass., since we are providing them (at no charge) minutes of their meetings, of course for our own purposes. They have not otherwise been recording or transcribing their meetings, so without these minutes, some very valuable presentations and discussions would be taken from by the participants only mentally. Carolyn Mieth: Move Mass. was in its early history concerned with commuter mobility to major downtown buildings. Members of the organization are highly placed.

Barry Andelman has a friend who is a web site designer. It is possible to make the APT site more useful and attractive.

Ernest Loewenstein: We have had discussions "with the Top" about "weak buses", which are underpowered [or else undermaintained as to appear underpowered]. He wrote a letter to the Cabot garage about this. The APT rôle is to insist that the T does what it should do, not to make excuses that in two years there are going to be new buses, etc. We should praise them for doing the proper thing, but to be merciless in criticizing them when they drop the ball. We are not going to be satisfied with excuses.

The mission of APT should be a group that the T is forced to listen to and respect. We are not concerned with their detailed problems.

E.L.: Under [General Manager] John Haley, our APT reports were written [and consulted at the highest levels]. Once he left, there was no more T interest in our efforts. The T is very good at co-opting people. We should be members of their own committees only when it is to OUR advantage--Whether they like it or not. We should be members of their committees because they need us. We should have a hard-nosed attitude: We might not necessarily be liked, but we should be listened to.

We are not going to be co-opted. These are our goals. If they are going in other directions, we should not be afraid to oppose them. We have enough expertise to discuss transportation intelligently. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, which is transit performance, without accepting excuses. If need be, we should make life unpleasant enough for the management that they DO something.

It should be Fred’s job to parcel out these functions.

3. CAR-FREE

Motion by Barry Steinberg, seconded by Ernest Loewenstein, that we buy fifty copies of CAR-FREE from Rubel BikeMaps for distribution at the President’s discretion. These are not intended for resale. Discussion: Fred wants the ability to give complimentary copies to friends of the APT, for example at the T. Passed unanimously.

4. Carolyn Mieth: The AIRPORT WATER SHUTTLE is set to cease service next week. She is very concerned about it. She wonders about the economics of the operation.

5. Next APT Board meeting is scheduled for 10 Sept. 2003.

6. New Business

Romin Koebel: We should consider becoming members of the Transportation Research Board.

7. The meeting adjourned 7:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

BARRY M. STEINBERG

Clerk