Oak Hill Park & Ride returns to William Cannon and 290 West

October 30, 2014

by Ann Fowler

OAK HILL – The park & ride facility that serves the Oak Hill Flyer (Route 171) will reopen on Nov. 3 at William Cannon and U.S. 290 West, according to Capital Metro authorities.

The facility was moved to the ACC Pinnacle campus last December while the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) built a continuous-flow intersection at William Cannon and 290 West.

John Julitz, Capital Metro communications specialist, told the Gazette, “The newly rebuilt park & ride includes approximately 100 spaces, motorcycle/bike parking, lighting, bus stop shelters/benches and a dedicated pull-off loading zone for buses.”

Prior to the road construction, the park & ride held 150 parking spaces; the reduction is concerning to regular riders, although Capital Metro said there is a dirt area for overflow parking.

Tom Thayer is one of many who believe that Capital Metro should keep park & ride facilities on each side of the ‘Y.’ He said, “The William Cannon location is just not a good location. It is difficult to get to and from by car, by bicycle, or by foot. And being east of the major traffic out here removes one of the reasons for taking the bus.”

For many years the park & ride was located south of the ‘Y.’ One aspect that made bus service attractive was that the commuters did not have to add to the congestion by driving through one of the city’s busiest intersections. In fact, many riders found the move a deal breaker when the transit agency moved the park & ride from south of the ‘Y’ to its current location.

Although Capital Metro owns its other park & ride facilities, it leases or borrows the space for the Oak Hill park & ride. The site at William Cannon and U.S. 290 West belongs to TxDOT.

Thayer added, “With the reduced number of parking spaces as well, I wonder if it would reach capacity, thus making two locations more attractive.”

Xiaoyan Dai agreed. She expressed concern about fewer parking spots and added, “It would be better to keep both locations so that people have a choice of parking at either location.”

Sylvia Myler agrees with the need to keep both locations, but is pessimistic about the chances: “It would be nice to keep both locations, but we all know that’s not going to happen.”

Riders also expressed concern about the lack of prior notice of the move. Some commuters ride sporadically, so advance notice is important. Although Capital Metro officials had hoped to give several weeks notice about the move, they announced the Nov. 4 move on Oct. 24. And while the transit agency said they were working on signs, rider Susan Higginbotham reported on Oct. 28, “As of this morning, there is no signage at the ACC park & ride. No indication that they are planning to move Monday.”