City officials warn Houstonians to plan ahead for parking during Spring Break to avoid trouble

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Spring Break is right around the corner, and if you're thinking of stopping by the Museum District, the Houston Zoo, or the rodeo, remember thousands of others will have that same idea.

It will make parking a challenge, and the last thing people want is to spend hours circling around trying to find a place to park their car.

However, city officials said they've got you covered and plan to help visitors out.

"It is important for people to plan ahead," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Turner and leaders from the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are letting everyone know that parking is going to be a problem.

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They say by planning ahead, you can avoid some trouble. One option is taking the METRO.

"The trains are running every six minutes during the peak of the peak, so we have a lot of carrying capacity with that. We have additional staff that is on duty as well to make sure that we've got good customer service to those who may be new to the community," Tom Lambert with METRO said.

When it comes to the Museum District, there's free parking and paid parking. But spaces will fill up early, so to avoid the crowds, the city says to use public parking in Midtown or downtown and then take the METRORail to your final destination.

For Hermann Park or the zoo, members can park for $10. General public parking is $30, but space is limited, so finding an offsite lot and riding the rail is recommended.

For the Texas Medical Center, Garage 8 at Holcombe and Pressler and the AU lot at Pressler on Maine have hourly rates and are within walking distance of the Museum District.

METRO is also encouraging everyone to get $1.25 fares using the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing App. You can find out more by visiting the City of Houston website.

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