I know a few physicians who office at the "Ethically-Challenged Attorney" (f/k/a/ St. Luke's) Medical Tower and the Binz Professional Buildings.  Not one of them admit to riding the Utopian Tram.

How many of these doctor's have parked thier luxury cars to be herded like "Sheeple?"

I would also like to comment on the 73,000 TMC employees accounting for 15,000 boardings.

It is my contention that both the COH , and the TMC, using taxpayer funds, continue to give "Free" passes to employees, de facto intended primarily for government, or government subsidized employees to ride the METRORail so as to boost ridership for propaganda purposes, contrary to METRO's duty to preserve an adequate "safety net" to the bus transit dependent riders throughout the service area.

I have not been able to find out how much of the taxpayer-subsidized funds, from numerous funding accounts, have been spent by TMC entities to date, but here is the running total from the City of Houston.

FY2006    $720,000

FY2007    $750,000 (4.17% INCREASE)

FY2008    $800,000 (6.7% INCREASE)

Huh?  Maybe the students get a cheaper pass, but I'm an employee in the TMC, and no one is giving me any breaks on my Metro fares.  It's still way cheaper than paying $150/mo for a parking spot, so I ride the bus or the Utopian Tram.  

And Mary, be careful what you wish for in regards to more ridership on the Red Line in the Med Center.  We're already at Japanese train crowding levels during the afternoon rush hour. I have no idea how Metro plans to add more capacity to the trains, but they better start thinking about it!  

I'm with Urban Commuter: the crowds on the train as it passes through the TMC can be unbelievable, even at ungodly hours of the morning. As the TMC continues to expand, Metro will need to run more two-car trains or run trains more frequently to keep up with demand during peak med-center commuting hours.

Either add more trains or restore some of the bus service that has been eliminated.

don,

Here! Here!

METRO promised a 50% INCREASE in bus service so as to dupe the voters into approving the 2003 "Solutions" scheme, yet has continually slashed critical bus service to the poor, minority, elderly, and handicapped bus transit dependent riders throughout the service area.

There is a link on the Houston Chronicle Opinion web page this morning:

http://www.themightywizard.com/weblog/archives/000267.html

I agree with UrbanCommuter, too.

I've only ridden through the Medical Center once(I rarely ride southbound past the TMC transit center.), and I picked 4:30 in the afternoon to do it.

Never again. Ever.

It's interesting that you mention the Japanese commuter trains. They have the best public transportation system on the planet. They're so good that if you're late for work, there are people on the train platforms handing out excuse slips. (Thank you, Travel Channel.) Of course, these same people will also physically cram passengers into crowded trains.

That's because so many people there use it. They don't have school districting like we do, so children as young as 11 are traveling 1-2 hours to go to school across the city by themselves. They may leave home as early as 6am and not come home until 6 or 7pm.

However, there are still people who drive. I doubt that it's very many because space is at such a premium there that parking garages are a rare sort of beast.

If the TMC honchos were really interested in reducing traffic congestion in the Medical Center, they would not add the 23,480 parking spaces mentioned above.

Instead, limit parking spaces to the current number, let the price increase as demand goes up, and you can almost guarantee an increase in the use of public transportation vs. private car in the TMC.

Let's quit building parking garages if we really want to reduce traffic congestion and encourage transit via public transporation!!

David,

You are assuming the ill have no other place to go!

I'm sure many of the other hospitals and clinics NOT in the TMC would love the TMC forcing the sick to be herded like "sheeple" on the tram, so they eventually will get their business.

Your suggestion may not be well received; see if they do what you have suggested.  Do you have any idea just how much extra profit the TMC makes on parking?

Did you make any suggestions to the numbskulls who spent $10,000 each for parking meters?

David said;

"If the TMC honchos were really interested in reducing traffic congestion in the Medical Center, they would not add the 23,480 parking spaces mentioned above.

Instead, limit parking spaces to the current number, let the price increase as demand goes up, and you can almost guarantee an increase in the use of public transportation vs. private car in the TMC.

Let's quit building parking garages if we really want to reduce traffic congestion and encourage transit via public transporation!!"

The key word in the above is "Let's" or Let 'us'.  'Us' is not the owner or people who have to make the decisions as to whether or not a business is successful and turns a 'profit' (or maximizes funding).

It is easy for people who have never owned a business or managed one to decide how best others (who do own and operate 'for profit' business) should behave.

What we are seeing, IMHO, is a desire to revert to the years when people were reliant on mass transit and had no other options and people basically became dependent to a point where they had no 'choice' in where they worked.

The auto, aka as PRT (Private Rapid Transit), offered, and still offers, the fastest means to get from point A to point B.  More importantly, it allows the freedom to choose not only WHERE we go, but also allows us to alter our destination(s) in the blink of an eye.

TMC, as well as all other business' know that the auto offers the the most flexibility for patients as well as staff.  Maybe someday Metro will do a case study on exactly how many management and doctors use mass transit?

Mass transit that has multiple stops and 15mph average speed does not compete with the auto.  

City officials are failing also in that they are ceding over miles of existing roadways that were already handling many vehicles not only with passengers, but also with cargo and services.

If you build your own office or whatever David, then you yourself can take on the decision to not provide parking.  Let TMC decide as owners, what they wish to do.

BTW, the individual hospitals most likely have the say in what they want.  I almost forgot that TMC is simply a shell operation representing the unity of the 48 or so individual hospitals.

All good points.  And I think it's imperative to keep in mind that hospitals run 24-7.  Metro does not.  So anyone working the late or the swing shift is probably going to drive in to work.  

TMC is doing a perfectly good job encouraging mass transit use by pricing their montly parking rates so high that the lower-paid workers and those of us with easy alternative transit options choose to take Metro instead.  If I had kids that needed to be picked up from daycare, or if it was physically difficult for me to walk or bike, you bet I'd hold my nose and pay the fee.  

I currently drive a commuter van into the Medical Center.  It sure bets the 45 minute bus ride in and then the 30 minute train ride down to the medical center.

The HOV has become a nightmare also, can't metro make these two lanes for passing slower drivers in given areas along the way?  I would also like to see the HOV extended to 288 at least.  There is huge congestion from 59 to 288 both ways and I am sure that other freeways are just as congested.  

I thought the pupose of the Metro system is to help commuters and ease the congestion.  If they open up the HOV to single riders who are willing to pay, that will congest the HOV for the real commuters.