Board of Directors Meeting

1. Call to order at 6:12 p.m.

2. Minutes of the previous meeting (8Dec04) were approved.

3. Officers’ reports for possible action by directors:

A. Fred Moore:

(1) Blue Line Field Trip: Fred has made some ‘converts’ in favor of the Blue Line extension to Lynn.

(2) Points made at today’s Regional Transportation Advisory Committee meeting:

• Decisions for and selection of substitutes are being made unilaterally without the consent of the interested parties.
• There is blatant favoritism to the South Shore and an ambivalent attitude to everyone else.
• In the case of the Lynn extension of the Blue Line, the modeling is flawed, since other relevant factors are deliberately omitted: Only Airport trips are in the model, ignoring the poor downtown distribution characteristics and the rider transfer bottleneck at the Blue/Green interchange.
• To change the ‘rules’ halfway through the implementation after finally getting the Greenbush follies to perform proves the second point and demonstrates that the T and the State entered the agreement in bad faith.

B. Romin Koebel, Vice President:

Can APT become a party in the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) class action suit against the State?

• (1) Although Belmont is only two miles across, the town has two railway stations. The majority of Boston's residents live within a half mile of a station. Trains reach Porter Square and North Station after a short ride. In a sense such a feeder service is an extension of the concept of bundled diameter lines. The idea being advanced is that there should be a shuttle line emanating from Waverley Square that would go to the Alewife Line, by way of Belmont Center. It was written up in the newsletter of the Belmont Citizens organization - Belmont Citizens Forum. There is too much filling up of the garage parking decks early in the day.
  Comment: Such an approach would seem to be consistent with the position of  to augment and encouraging "bundled diameter lines."
  
• (2) The idea of the historical trolley line between North Station and South Station is to be submitted as a project for inclusion in the upcoming Unified Planning Work Program. Including the trolley would make it possible to take a more thorough look at the concept. The concept was the theme of the keynote address at a recent APT annual meeting (2003) suggesting that a decent conceptual look be gotten.
  
• (3) The Medford Hillside Green line extension, a Central Artery/Tunnel Project transit commitment of the early nineties, is in question. The Conservation Law Foundation is initiating a lawsuit with the aim that the transit commitments be kept.
  
• (4) One of the big wins of the reunification of Germany and Berlin is the
  emergence  of the concept of the "bundled diameter lines" is alive and well.   With the combining of the two city halves, it become possible to pursue the idea of the bundled diameter line. A central trunk line bisects the city in the east west direction.  The alignment of the elevated trunk line on a mainly arched brick viaduct,  runs in its central segment in a curving alignment along the edge of the main city park, the Tiergarten.
  The unification makes it possible mobility to realize the goal of interregional mobility by way of central Berlin. Trains can traverse Berlin rapidly. Thus a lesson can be learned. The Berlin experience is instructive and in some respects analogous to the North-South rail link discussion.  What happens is that various regional lines are bundled on a central east-west trunk line. That central trunk line also accommodates third rail mass conventional rapid transit. Among the routes is a "diameter line" that traverses Berlin from southwest to the northeast, serving to connect and link cities in the southwest with cities to the northeast, e.g. the port city of Stralsund in the northeast is connected to Dessau and Potsdam in the southwest.

Another visit to Karlsruhe is illustrative. Karlsruhe's regional concept is possibly of relevance to the current discussion. Diameter lines are a theme. Karlsruhe continues to construct its bundled diameter line system apace, and has made major improvements and systems extensions. The regional network is really far-flung, extending ever further into the region. Legislative changes had to be made to allow the trams to run on the railroad tracks.  The trams are equipped with capability to switch to an operating mode on railroad tracks. The bundling occurs by contrast at ground level with a converted city street serving as the "bundling" conduit. There is a continuous succession of low-floor three to four car tram units operating at surface level. There is no grade separation. Outside of the central area, trams typically run in the median. At selected points trams switch to the regional rail system.

C. John Hostage, Treasurer: The CLF, Somerville and Medford are going to sue the State about the non-completion of the Central Artery mitigation project commitments.

D. Barry D. Andelman, Liaison to the T.

(1) Governor Michael S. Dukakis will speak at the APT Annual Meeting. He wants specifics.

(2) Barry is amazed at the tremendous response to the Waterfront Silver Line. A number of employers run their own shuttles, with twenty or thirty minute frequencies. This is beat hands down by the Silver Line. Barry feels that because of the SL branch routings, there will not be traffic delays.

It operates quickly and efficiently. It is really ‘bus rapid transit’ because it runs in a tunnel and has stations.

E. Rick Arena

(1) He has a commercial quote for scanning of Steve Kaiser’s Transit Commitments paper in the range of $20 to $25. It is beyond his capabilities for that volume of work.

(2) The framework of rapid transit extensions. He needs a map of rail rights of way. Comment: Ken Dumas of the Central Transportation Planning Staff would have this.

(3) He is working with one of Michael Dukakis’ interns on rail enhancements and improvements.

(4) A bill is being filed in the State House of Representatives to preserve the North-South Rail Link right of way. Comment: This does not imply impending construction, rather to protect the right of way from encroachment by commercial construction.

F. Barry M. Steinberg, Clerk

As a reply to the Mayor of Quincy’s comments about bus service, Barry had an extensive rebuttal letter to the editor of the Patriot Ledger published. The APT name was used.

4. Old Business.

A. Framework for Advocacy. Fred Moore.

We want to see the ‘commuter rail system’ serve as an express through service for expanding the destination envelope. The North-South Rail Link is the centerpiece with a trunk that would serve as a radial bundle line providing an express through service. The express transit overlay system may be a substitute for the extension of metro-type rapid transit.

Comments: Rick Arena: We tend to think of subway and commuter rail as mutually exclusive. Indeed, (Barry Andelman:) commuter rail can serve as transit.

B. Planning for the Annual Meeting: 11 May 05.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a call to order at 6:30.

The business meeting happens first, taking a half hour. The new Board is installed. A general discussion would follow the featured speaker.

(1) Greeting from president Fred Moore, with the annual APT activity statement. There will be no individually delivered reports.

Comment (Rick Arena): Within the next month, we should send out to the list an e-mail requesting nominations for directors and officers.

(2) The speaker would be at 6:45.

(3) An open forum would follow the questions and answers.

People would sign up with introduction of their group and their group agenda. They will be given a fixed amount of time.

C. Web Site Upgrade.

Our listserv is not working effectively. Rick Arena has worked out a listserv with Yahoo. We would have to pay something to avoid attached advertising. Rick will have to look into this price.

Earthlink has a windows based site for approximately $25. If we want to go to e-commerce, there is the capability. We would have to buy our own software to host.

Rick will look into further details.

5. New Business.

A. Steve Kaiser’s Big Dig Report.

Motion made by Barry Steinberg, seconded by Barry Andelman, that we scan Dr. Kaiser’s Big Dig report commercially to make a PDF file and also make fifteen paper copies of the work at a price not to exceed $300. Passed.

B. Snow Clearing (Barry D. Andelman and Ernest Loewenstein)

The snow has not been shoveled. We could draft a letter about secondary clearing addressed to the heads of the subway lines and Anne Herzenberg of the T. There is no one at the T with this agenda. We cannot wait until someone is hurt.

C. Romin Koebel: The Belmont citizens’ organization is concerned about the lack of parking at Alewife. They have suggested bus service to Alewife from Waverley Sq and Belmont Center.

D. Herb Pence met with Romin about the Greenway Historic Trolley. He wants it on the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). He wants to take this up with Steve Olinoff of the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (RTAC). He made the point that an alliance of organizations should get involved in this, using the example of the Boston Street Railway Association. Barry Steinberg suggested that the Chinese community be contacted and made involved, since they have a direct need for transit, rather than an intellectual interest in the construction and extension of such a line, in an area that currently is and will continue to be transit underserved.

6. The meeting adjourned 8:44 p.m.

---