MAYOR WHITE, JOHNSON SPACE CENTER OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE LOCAL TRAFFIC MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS Flexible work options help cut commute times
July 31, 2006 -- Mayor Bill White today joined Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director Mike Coats to announce a 23% reduction in commute times along NASA Parkway since implementation of a flexible work plan for employees.
"This further validates that flexible working hours pay off, saving commuters both time and money," said Mayor White. "Other companies will see how this worked for the Space Center, and hopefully follow their lead."
JSC's Maxiflex allows JSC's 3,300+ employees to work with their managers in designing work options that maintain or increase productivity while providing options such as compressed work schedules. The Maxiflex option is aligned with the goals of the Flexible Workplace Initiative.
"We take pride in offering our employees such flexibility," said Mike Coats, Johnson Space Center Director. "It's a win-win when we also make a positive impact on the surrounding communities."
This change in work schedule decreased the number of cars on the road and shifted those traveling during peak drive times to off-peak drive times. The preliminary indicators from a study of the program before and after its implementation suggest significant improvement along NASA Parkway (from I-45 to SH-146) for an average reduction of 5.2 minutes or 23%. The average travel time was cut from 22.7 minutes to 17.5 minutes after the program began.
(Data was gathered using tube counts and measured travel times.)
The study follows a similar pilot program initiated and measured for several hundred Duke Energy employees in the Galleria/Westheimer area earlier this summer. That program was found to have cut a cumulative 6,480 minutes off of peak-hour drive times.
Mayor White's Flexible Workplace Initiative works with the top executives in congested areas to initiate or expand more flexible work places. By sharing information for effective flexible work options and moving even a relatively small number of people off the roads during peak congestion times, improvement in productivity and mobility can be quantifiably measured.
In addition to cutting commute times and congestion, the program can help save fuel and reduce exhaust emissions.
Another innovative approach used within Boeing that reduces traffic congestion includes employees who work virtually. "The Boeing Company has increased employee productivity and retention while saving more than 238,900 commute miles per day across the company, equal to a trip to the moon," said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration. Boeing has about 12,000 employees who work at home or telecommute. Each employee who works "virtually" also saves the company approximately $5,900 in annual facilities costs.
Traffic management experts who designed, helped collect and evaluate the data were: Isaac Joskowicz P.E., PTOE with Brown and Gay Engineers, Inc., Anthony Voigt, P.E. with the Texas Transportation Institute, Nelson B. Nuckles, P.E. with S&B Infrastructure Ltd., Jeff Weatherford P.E., PTOE with City of Houston, and Carol Nixon, P.E. with the Texas Department of Transportation.
