Finding ways to get some people out of their cars

It’s a common joke among transportation officials, especially those that support transit.

“You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic.”

Unless more Houston-area drivers start to understand that – and make changes – traffic will only get worse, city officials, regional planners and business leaders said during the kickoff Aug. 4 for a website aimed at convincing some people to change their commuting habits.

“I know many of our citizens are tired of getting stuck in traffic,” said Alan Clark, director of transportation planning for the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

The agency oversees everything from a majority of the federal funds steered to highway projects to programs aimed at encouraging more telecommuting.

As part of an August push as Commute Solutions month, H-GAC launched findasmarterwaytowork.org, which provides workers and employers with information and ideas of how to avoid solo commutes, such as joining a carpool or working some days from home. According to census data and numerous local surveys, more than three-fourths of workers in the area drive alone to work. In Brazoria County, nearly 86 percent of people drive solo to their job.

Curbing the congestion, officials said, will require giving workers a better option, but also an acknowledgement that Houston has built roads and people have used them because that’s what local governments have provided them.

“I want to move away from only adding roadway capacity,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, noting his support for transit projects such as a controversial plan for dedicated bus lanes along Post Oak in the Uptown area.

For people to use buses or bikes to get to work, however, supporters concede employees will need to be convinced it’s a practical solution. Transit must get them where they need to go conveniently and efficiently – something many workers say it does not do now. Within the Sam Houston Tollway, workers have typical commutes of less than 10 miles, but inch along stressed local streets, which also slow Metropolitan Transit Authority buses.

“It is time to change that,” said Bob Eury, president of the Houston Downtown Management District, citing the need for not only better transit, but in some cases bus-only lanes that make transit more attractive. “Metro’s new bus network is the key, I think.”

Transit officials changed the bus system nearly one year ago, focusing on core routes crossed by less-frequent service. The aim, supporters said, was to connect people to fast, reliable service – though critics have pointed to examples where some riders have longer trips or farther walks to a bus stop as a result.

In June, Metro reported a 2 percent increase in overall transit ridership, despite a 5 percent drop in park and ride service many attribute to job losses in the energy industry.

Increasing bike commuting, meanwhile, might require businesses willing to add incentives such as changing rooms and showers.

Still, the disastrous downside of worsening traffic is something companies are closely watching. Investment in alternatives is increasingly making sense. Houston’s economic vitality is aligned with an ability to move more goods to and from the area and get workers to more jobs, said George DeMontrond, chair of Greater Houston Partnership’s transportation committee.

“It is important to all of our bottom lines that growth is sustained,” DeMontrond said.

Improvement also does not require wholesale changes by most people, officials stressed. A slight reduction in total vehicles can dramatically improve travel times on many highways and local streets, Clark said. Taking the bus once a week when practical or working from home a day or two if possible can be a start.

“Try once a week,” said Eulois Cleckley, assistant director of transportation planning at H-GAC. “It can be all the difference in helping alleviate congestion.”