General Article
December 4, 2003
Calming employees’ commuting concerns
Transportation and Facilities departments
help pave the way
for an easier commute
after the PHS move
The opening of Campus Drive (1), a new shuttle stop (2) and the PHS garage (3) are among the physical changes associated with the PHS move. Flexcar on campus (4) and buses nearby (5) make commuting to work without a car a viable option for Fred Hutchinson faculty and staff. Photos by Todd McNaught
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By BARBARA BERG
Starting Monday, Feb. 9, expect life on the Day Campus to change as the first of some 800 new neighbors from the Public Health Sciences Division move to South Lake Union from Metropolitan Park.
If you’re a Day Campus habitué, you may wonder if you will run into an onslaught of new cars entering the campus. And if you’re relocating from the towers by the freeway, you likely have concerns over navigating your new commute.
But thanks to careful planning and ready assistance from the Transportation and Facilities and Operations departments, expect few bumps on the road ahead.
“Based on our experience with previous campus moves, parking and commuting issues are among people’s biggest anxieties,” said Shelly DaRonche, transportation manager. “But we’ve found that most people typically continue to use the same mode of transportation for commuting after they move. Transportation Department staff will work with those individuals who expect their commutes to change and help them figure out their options.”
DaRonche said that currently, about 60 percent of PHS faculty and staff commute by means other than single-occupancy vehicle. “That is an impressive statistic,” she said. “We’d like to do everything we can to help them maintain that—and this area is already served by good bus service, which will help.”
Although the center is a major employer in the South Lake Union area, the number of staff who work on the Day Campus—which will total more than 3,000 after the PHS move is complete—only represents a fraction of people who work in the neighborhood. This means Metro Transit is unlikely to add or modify bus routes based solely on the needs of Fred Hutchinson commuters. However, the addition of many new employees expected to join the neighborhood’s growing biotechnology industry may trigger changes in public transportation in South Lake Union.
DaRonche said that the center maintains active lines of communication with all the transportation agencies that serve the area and is committed to voicing the institution’s needs when new transportation options arise. For example, DaRonche testified this fall on behalf of the center at a Seattle City Council hearing in support of the proposed streetcar that would provide rapid transit from South Lake Union to downtown.
And while the addition of 800 staff members to the Day Campus may seem big, Scott Rusch, director of facilities, said that employees should not expect to see a significant impact on traffic.
“The two traffic lights on Fairview adjacent to the Day Campus help regulate traffic flow,” he said.
Options and logistics
Specific commuting issues and campus logistics related to the opening of the new PHS building include:
- Parking: The new PHS building has about 400 parking stalls for faculty and staff, which the Transportation Department expects will accommodate the needs of all division employees who request on-campus parking. In addition, the PHS garage has 50 spaces for participants in PHS studies. Later in 2004, on-campus daily paid parking may be available if space permits.
- Carpooling: The larger number of staff on the Day Campus will increase the opportunities for carpooling and vanpooling. View ridesharing postings on the ridesharing electronic bulletin board (accessible to Microsoft Outlook users through the Public Folders or through the news or newsgroups on your network browser).
- Campus access: Campus Drive, formerly Ward Street, is the new main entrance to the center. PHS participant parking, the Thomas visitor lot and the Weintraub/Hutchinson/Thomas garages can be accessed via Campus Drive. Employees who park in the PHS building are encouraged to use the Aloha Street garage entrance. Participant/visitor parking can only be accessed via Campus Drive.
- Campus shuttles: Beginning Monday, Feb. 9, the shuttle stop in front of the Thomas Building will relocate to the traffic circle adjacent to the new PHS building. After the PHS move is complete, shuttle service to the Metropolitan Park campus will be discontinued. Service to the University of Washington will not change.
- Bus service: Metro bus routes 70, 66 (15-minute service during non-peak and 12-minute service during peak on the route 70) stop near campus and provide quick access to the bus tunnel and downtown. Buses that layover on Eastlake Avenue East next to the center will stop at the bus stop and allow riders to board to facilitate bus connections downtown. For more bus route information, visit Metro’s Web site: http://transit.metrokc.gov/.
- Flexcar: Currently, the center maintains a spot in the Yale Building visitor lot for one Flexcar, a vehicle that can be reserved on an hourly basis.
For more information about commuting, contact the Transportation Department at 206-667-5099 or visit http://www.fhcrc.org/admin/facilities/transportation/.
