Fall 08
Vol. 13 No. 4

Q. Employees who drive to work downtown receive the benefit of free parking. Employees who take a bus or carpool do not and are usually required to pay for parking when they must drive for non-medical reasons. If they return to work, they have to pay twice. Is it possible to expand the parking benefit to not tax employees who choose a way to get to work that causes less traffic congestion when they have to drive?

A: Employees who are in an approved van pool or who take a bus from a Metro park and ride lot to any of 16 downtown locations should not have to pay when they periodically drive in to work. Up to 12 times per year, employees enrolled in the Transportation Program can drive into downtown and have their parking validated at a city-approved lot like Tranquility Park, or get a one-day parking pass at a city-owned lot that includes lots C, H and G.

Also, through the Metro Guaranteed Ridehome Program, employees enrolled in the Transportation Program have 12 emergency rides home for those times during the day when the bus or van is not providing service. This service is only to be used in case of personal illness, family illness or death in the family. Errands or doctor appointments do not qualify as an emergency.

For more information, talk to your transportation coordinator or whoever issues your bus pass.

The city provides the transportation benefit so that employees who work downtown don’t have to sit in heavy traffic on their way to work or their way home. Just as I hope you enjoy doing your job, I don’t want you to report to work on edge and in a bad mood because you had to fight traffic to get here. A positive frame of mind is important when we’re working for a better city. Also, it helps lessen congestion on the freeway and helps reduce pollution.

Employees who work at the following locations are eligible for the Transportation Program:

• The George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de Las Americas
• HPD Headquarters, 1200 Travis
• Municipal Courts- Parking Management, 1301 Travis
• Fire Station #2, 1307 Crawford
• Municipal Courts Building, 1400 Lubbock
• HPD Facility, 1415 Fannin
• 1801 Main
• 319 St. Emanuel
• 333 Preston
• Central Library and Ideson Building, 500 McKinney
• 500 Jefferson
• Convention Center, 510 Preston
• HPD Jail Facility, 61 Reisner
• Bob Lanier Building, 611 Walker
• City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby
• City Hall, 901 Bagby.

Employees who work at those locations and wish to drive into work can get free parking in lots C or H or in the Hobby parking garage. They can also get discounted parking in the Tranquility underground parking garage.

Q. It seems like the tables beside the reflection pool in front of city hall are disappearing. Where are they going? Will they be coming back?

A: As the tables deteriorate, they are being removed and not being replaced. The long benches without tables will remain. There is a concentration of the picnic tables still on the Walker Street side of City Hall, near the entrance to the Visitors’ Center. Those are scheduled to remain where they are.

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