"Reverse commuting" could be on the cards as Woodlands area expands

The Woodlands maybe called a township but it's fast expanding and with the addition of the new Exxon-Mobil campus nearby, a new idea for "reverse commuting" is being touted about as a solution to potential travel headaches.

In regular commuting, workers travel from the suburbs to the city, often via park and ride. In reverse commuting, people in the cities hitch a ride back out to the 'burbs, or in this case, the almost a city in itself, Woodlands.

"The bus is going to come back empty otherwise, so why not put some people on it," said Alan Clark, Director of Transportation Planning for the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

The Area Council is working extensively with the Woodlands Township according to Clark, working out ways to ease pressure as the area rapidly expands.

Workers have already started heading out to the new Exxon Campus near I-45 and the Hardy Toll Way.

The ten thousand strong workforce that will be fully established there by the middle of 2015 would be a prime candidate to take advantage of the new idea.

Exxon's new mammoth campus is large enough to fit the whole of DisneyLand, Ca. inside it and many of the new employees may choose to live in the northern areas of Houston with easy access to city attractions inside the loop.

The energy giant is already working with Metro Star which operates vanpooling options for between 5 and 15 people all over the Houston Metro area, according to Exxon's upstream media relations manager, David Eglinton.

"During the last month, the first employees started to move to the campus and in the next two weeks, our first Metro Star van pool will commence operating," said Eglinton via email.

The first van will operate to and from the Addicks park and ride location on the Katy Freeway east of Highway 6 and Eglinton expects many more will be added as their new campus fills up.

David Clark at the Houston-Galveston Area Council says reverse commuting could also be implemented to take people out to the Clear Lake area and also noted that transportation links are also being considered between Conroe and the Woodlands.

"The question we're working on is, how can we put these services together so that we maximize transit opportunities for people?" Clark said.

David Clark at the Houston-Galveston Area Council says reverse commuting could also be implemented to take people out to the Clear Lake area and also noted that transportation links are also being considered between Conroe and the Woodlands.

"The question we're working on is, how can we put these services together so that we maximize transit opportunities for people?" Clark said.

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