* Executive Plaza and Mid-Pike Shuttle Routes to Change on Monday, January 5, 2009
The NIH’s first priority is preserving the integrity of its research mission. Protecting our vital research becomes even more imperative during tight budgetary times. In order to limit the impact on the research mission, budget reductions must be taken in non-research areas, including the NIH shuttle system.
The NIH conducted a comprehensive review of the shuttle system examining ridership throughout the day, escalating fuel costs, and resources required to maintain a route. As a result of this review, effective Monday, January 5, 2009, the NIH will be making significant changes to two shuttle routes and schedules. In developing these new routes and schedules, every effort was made to maintain an acceptable level of service while minimizing the overall impact to employees and visitors. The routes impacted will include Executive Plaza and Mid-Pike Plaza.
Executive Plaza Route – The NIH Executive Plaza Route will be decreased from three shuttles to two shuttles. Additionally, the Executive Plaza Shuttle will service the Mid-Pike Plaza Commuter Parking Lot weekdays between the hours of 10am through 4pm. The Mid Pike Plaza Commuter Parking Lot will be the first stop on the Executive Plaza route after leaving the campus. The Executive Plaza route will revert back to its regular schedule between the hours of 4pm to 6:30pm.
Mid-Pike Plaza Route – The Mid-Pike Plaza Route will be combined with the Executive Plaza Shuttle during the hours of 10am through 4pm weekdays. The Mid Pike Plaza morning route will not change between the hours of 5:40am through 10am. Between the hours of 4pm to 7pm the Mid Pike Plaza Shuttle will revert back to only stopping at the Mid Pike Plaza Commuter parking lot. Additionally, the Mid-Pike Plaza Shuttle will discontinue service to the Mid-Pike Plaza Commuter Parking Lot at 7pm.
Campus, Campus Limited, Rockledge, and Perimeter Shuttle Routes – there are no changes to these routes.
ALL PATIENT SHUTTLE ROUTES – there are no changes to any of the NIH Patient Shuttle Routes.
To view the new Executive Plaza and Mid Pike Plaza routes and schedules in addition to the existing NIH shuttle routes, please visit:
http://dtts.ors.od.nih.gov/NIHShuttle/scripts/shuttle_map_live.asp
We deeply regret any inconvenience these changes may cause and fully understand the impact they will have on employees and visitors. Whenever possible, we strive to reduce or combine services, as we believe a limited service is better than eliminating the service altogether. We appreciate your understanding and will continue to assess the impact over the future months and make service adjustments when possible, particularly if additional funding becomes available.
For questions regarding this message, please contact the ORS Information Line at orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or 301-594-6677. TTY is available at 301-435-1908. Please tune your radios to 1660 AM for NIH traffic, parking and perimeter security advisories.