| PURDUE PHARMA GOES THE EXTRA MILE WITH ITS OWN PARK & RIDE LOT
Parking at train stations presents one of the biggest challenges to increasing commuter rail ridership. Commuters who can't find parking close to their rail stop are likely to just hit the road and drive alone to work, making congestion worse in the process.
When Purdue Pharma moved recently from Norwalk -- which had been its home since 1972 -- to Stamford, the company wanted to help employees avoid the traffic congestion involved in commuting to the new site. So the company took strong steps to offer its 850 employees viable alternatives to driving.
The most dramatic of those steps was very concrete. Literally. To help employees commute via rail, Purdue Pharma leased a 75-space parking lot a half mile from the Fairfield train station. The lot serves as a park & ride exclusively for its employees.
"We make the spaces available on a first come, first served basis," explained Diana Lenkowsky, Vice President, Facilities Management. Employees pay nothing to park there. "It's an incentive to use the train. We're concerned about traffic and congestion."
The unusual step is not simply a strategy to help ease commutes in the short term during the relocation. Lenkowsky said Purdue Pharma will provide the lot to employees indefinitely (assuming it remains available for lease to the company).
In addition to the Fairfield parking lot, Purdue Pharma provides "a generous monthly allowance for parking" at employees' home train station, Lenkowsky said. The company runs a free shuttle between its new Stamford headquarters and the Stamford train station, as well. "We also participate in the DEDUCT-A-RIDE program," she said.
Harry Harris, Bureau Chief of Public Transportation for ConnDOT, supports the actions taken by Purdue Pharma to provide their employees with access to the New Haven Line. "I applaud Purdue Pharma's initiative in setting up an employee parking lot in Fairfield," said Harris. "This will encourage their employees to take the train rather than add to the I-95 congestion. Theirs is an excellent example of how the private sector working cooperatively with the public sector can address this critical regional issue. I am particularly pleased to note that Purdue Pharma is a participant in the DEDUCT-A-RIDE program which helps to lower their employees commutation costs."
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