New Parking System to be Introduced

"Most Advanced Parking in the U.S." Coming in Early 1999

During the first few months of 1999, a new way of parking will be introduced in most of the Texas Medical Center parking garages and surface lots. Plans for the conversion to the new access system have been under way at the Texas Medical Center corporation (which operates over 60 percent of the parking facilities on campus); beginning in November, representatives from the corporation will be visiting institutions to meet individually with employees in order to make the transition go smoothly.

"There are several reasons for this conversion to a new system," says Shelby R. Rogers, executive vice president of Texas Medical Center. "Our current system has been a very efficient and reliable system. However, its computer hardware, software and field equipment is at the end of its functional life. It is no longer supported by its manufacturer, making maintenance difficult and replacement parts increasingly hard to find. Additionally, the current system is not year 2000 compliant, and it has no Y2K cure.

"However, most importantly, we want our parking system to be the very best for our visitors and employees," says Rogers. "The recent TMC strategic planning sessions have clearly identified parking as the most critical issue in the TMC's future growth. Accessible, user-friendly parking is essential for employees and our patients. This new parking system, which will be in use in early 1999, will be the most advanced parking in the U.S."

The conversion process is named "Project Parking - Making Life a Little Easier." "And we think it will," adds Rogers.

Project Parking will actually have two conversions. The first, beginning in October and going through November, will involve only TMC employees. New parking contracts will be distributed and collected at the individual TMC institutions. Employees will be issued their new access cards - "proximity" cards that are simply held within seven inches or less of the new readers. As with the current system, gate arms will allow for entrance and exit.

It's that easy.

"Employees should keep using their 'old' access card until the day their facility is actually 'live,'" says Joyce Camp, vice president, Texas Medical Center. "And we will make sure this will not catch anyone by surprise."

The second phase of Project Parking involves the visitors to the TMC. The current system - taking a card upon entrance to parking and presenting the card upon exit at a garage or lot kiosk - will be replaced by a system allowing the visitor to pay before returning to their automobile. User-friendly easy-pay stations will be located in each facility; they resemble ATMs (automated teller machines), will be bilingual, accessible for the disabled and operate 24 hours per day. Assistance will be available through an intercom.

Parking "ambassadors" will also be available for assistance in each parking facility or ground lot.

This is the first in a continuing series of articles about Project Parking.

- ROGER WIDMEYER

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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