Next week is Transit Week in Virginia. This event has happened every year since 2005 and it is a challenge for Virginian's to use our wide variety of public transportation options instead of jumping into their car. Many folks will shake their heads and say there is NO WAY you can live in this area without a car. My daughter and her husband live in Alexandria, don't own a car and get around Northern Virginia with very few problems.
How do they manage? First and foremost is planning. They have studied the bus schedules and keep them handy on their phones when they are out. Northern Virginia offers residents the WMTA Metro bus system that covers most of the area as well as local buses including the ART buses in Arlington, the DASH bus in Alexandria, the Fairfax County Connector and PRTC in Prince William County to name a few. Most of these bus routes have stops at VRE and Metro Stations to extend commuting options even further. If the bus, train or metro doesn't get them where they need to go they walk.
Currently my daughter commutes 3 days a week between Parkfairfax in Alexandria where they live to George Mason University in Fairfax VA. She walks to the Shirlington Transit Station catches the bus to the Pentagon Metro, transfers to the Orange Line Metro to Vienna and then takes the GMU Shuttle Bus that stops every 15 minutes at the Metro Station. The one-way trip is about an hour. Since she has to be on campus by 9AM the drive would take at least that long if not more with rush hour traffic and parking on campus. My son-in-law is an IT Contractor and has worked as far out as Herndon VA, again commuting by bus and/or metro.
They have the advantage of living within walking distance of Shirlington VA for multiple restaurants and also can walk to Bradlee Shopping center in Fairlington for additional shopping. They also lived in London for a number of years and understand that public transportation may not be glamorous but it is functional. It may be harder for Northern Virginia residents who live in suburbs further outside the city to use public transportation 100% of the time but a larger percentage of daily living can be done with public transportation if you plan correctly.
If you are relocating to Northern Virginia understanding the commuting options offered in the area can be a big part of helping you decide where to live. Northern Virginia offers a wide variety of home styles and commuting options for those who want to live without a car to those who want to live in the rural countryside. Give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call at 703-346-2213 f you are headed to Northern Virginia. Put our experience help guide you to the right neighborhood and the right commuting options for you.
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