Commuter park and ride lot. Image credit: Virginia DOT.

Traffic and commuting are regular topics of conversation for residents of Northern Virginia. It is a large part of daily life and certainly not without its struggles. Whether you choose to drive, slug, carpool, metro or rail into the greater Washington DC area each day, this choice was likely made with great contemplation. If you are relocating to the Northern Virginia area, you too will be examining this complex decision as a part of your house hunting process.

With new jobs and residents moving here as a result of BRAC, the demand for options and space is greater than ever. Last week the Free Lance-Star reported that the number of commuters on the VRE (Virginia Railway Express) topped the previous record of 21,000 riders in a single day. According to Mark Roeber, a VRE spokesman, ridership is up 11.2 % over last year. With this demand comes a battle for parking space at the VRE stations. This same issue exists at slug lots throughout Stafford and Fredericksburg. Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Sean T. Connaughton announced this week plans for expansion of parking lots in North Stafford and two new lots in Spotsylvania County. Also announced, are plans for a new VRE station in Spotsylvania County with parking for 1,000 vehicles.

Hopefully for all of the commuters on the I-95 corridor, these projects will help keep up with the demand for commuting options, thus easing the amount of time spent on the roads and rails and the time we spend talking about our commute!

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