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CALLED TO ORDER at 10:33 a.m.

ROLL CALL

Members Present                       Members Absent

Cindy Chavez, Chairperson           None

Pat Dando

Fred Fowler

John McLemore

A quorum was present.

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

There were no Public Presentations.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

There were no Orders of the Day.

CONSENT AGENDA

REGULAR AGENDA

Approved submitting a recommendation to the Board of Directors an increase of Bicycle Expenditure Program (BEP) allocation to the River Oaks Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge (Tier 1 Bicycle Project) from $250,000 to $700,000.

Staff reported that the actual cost of the project increased due to additional environmental work and structural construction costs.

Approved submitting a recommendation to the Board of Directors the following clarifications to the Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines (May 1998) to be consistent with the traffic level of service analysis methods of the Traffic Level of Service Analysis Guidelines update approved at the June 2003 VTA Board Meeting: (1) use of average control delay and the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM2000) methods for signalized intersections; (2) use of HCM2000 density criteria with certain adjustments to reflect Santa Clara County conditions for freeways; and (3) use of HCM2000 methods for rural highways.

Staff provided a brief overview of the Traffic Level of Service Analysis Guidelines and noted that all clarifications and changes would need to be approved by the Board of Directors.

OTHER ITEMS

Received and filed the Fiscal Year 2004 - 2013 Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP).

Staff stated that VTA prepares a Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) every two years as required by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and stated further that MTC uses the SRTP to develop regional transit capital programming documents that form the basis for State and Federal funding decisions. FTA and MTC use the SRTP as the detailed justification required for awarding operating and capital grants to VTA.

Staff noted that 15 percent of the bus fleet would be converted over time to Zero Emission Buses.

Queried the issue of connecting rail with housing built along light rail, in particular at Coleman and Almaden Expressway, where a bridge was requested over Almaden Expressway to connect senior housing that was built across Almaden Expressway to the light rail station on the other side.

Staff responded that projects listed are projects that are integral to maintaining the operations of VTA and transit. These are not the other projects that would be generated through requests by cities to be incorporated in various transit programs.

Stated that a developer is looking to build another housing project at the corner of Coleman and Almaden Expressway. The developer has committed funds to get the bridge across Almaden Expressway.

Suggested an informational refresher for Board Members for discussion of program strategies.

Received and filed the Preliminary Tasman East/Capitol Bus/Rail Service Integration Plan.

Staff discussed a proposal linking the new Tasman East/Capitol extension with the existing Guadalupe Line. Staff noted the fiscal implication of avoiding spending $1.6 million to upgrade the Tasman West Line. The plan is to start pre-revenue service in late May 2004.

Received and filed the Paratransit Service Business Practices Improvement Plan: Project Update.

Staff stated that the goal of the Paratransit Service Business Practices Improvement Plan is to continue developing strategies to contain costs while not diminishing the quality of service. Based upon ridership and vendor rates, the projected expenses were $43.8 million this year. Currently the projected expenses are under $27 million.

Staff reported that due to the new Eligibility Certification Program, the enrollment rate has been reduced and more customers are shifting to the bus and light rail services. In the near term, ridership and costs are expected to drop modestly. The long-term goal is to develop a program that has moderate, more manageable, more predictable, and more reasonable growth and costs.

Requested an explanation of the door-to-door surcharge that was deferred.

Stated that it is important to provide input regarding customer behavior as it relates to safety.

Requested that a report be provided regarding a running total of expenditures versus savings.

Received and filed the Programmed Projects Quarterly Monitoring Report for October - December 2003.

Staff reported that all projects are progressing smoothly with the exception of the River Oaks Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge (Tier 1 Bicycle Project) that needs additional funding.

Reviewed the Committee Work Plan.

Staff noted that the Local Streets and Roads Program would be a part of the February 2004 Committee Work Plan and the Bicycle Expenditure Program would be available in the March/April 2004 timeframe.

Queried when information regarding Hot Lanes would be a part of the Committee Work Plan.

Requested that the Paratransit Service Business Practices Improvement Plan be included in the Committee Work Plan every three months.

Determined Consent Agenda for the February 5, 2004 Board of Directors' Meeting.

CONSENT: Agenda Item #7., Approve increase of Bicycle Expenditure Program (BEP) allocation to the River Oaks Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge (Tier 1 Bicycle Project) from $250,000 to $700,000 and Agenda Item #8., Approve the following clarifications to the Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines (May 1998) to be consistent with the traffic level of service analysis methods of the Traffic Level of Service Analysis Guidelines update approved at the June 2003 VTA Board Meeting: (1) use of average control delay and the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM2000) methods for signalized intersections; (2) use of HCM2000 density criteria with certain adjustments to reflect Santa Clara County conditions for freeways; and (3) use of HCM2000 methods for rural highways.

REGULAR: None