Workday Commute
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7/29/2008
Whether it be formally or informally established, one of Washington D.C.'s many attributes includes its safe and clean mass transit systems, consisting of the buses, metrorail, commuter trains, van and car pools, and in Northern Virginia, "Slugging." The Woodbridge area offers a little less flexibility in the established modes for the daily commute than most other venues in the Northern Virginia corridor. It is an extensive bedroom community that lies beyond the well established mass transit infrastructure. Even in today's market with more people choosing to travel using mass transit alternatives, those from the Woodbridge and bedroom communities to the south continue to favor the cowboy alternative, "Slugging" to mass transit. It provides those who ride with the least expensive and most flexible daily commute and for those who drive, it reduces the trip in half. It is not condoned by any government agency and it has worked without incident for well over twenty years. I've been a Woodbridge commuter for 19 years and like so many others, I've yearned for Metro to extend its service into or beyond our community. The reality is that the business model won't support it...look at our lifestyle, it is quite subtle, and someone from the east might not recognize it, but those of us who live in Woodbridge still approach life with a "Way-out-West!" approach. We are not as clustered as our beltway brothers and until we begin to live in vertical space we will attract those mavericks who don't mind finding new ways to break into the fast lane! And, on a final note, the Prince William County Transit Authority (PRCT) offers a great bus ride to and from the State Department, Pentagon, Rosslyn, Crystal City, Bolling AFB, the Navy Ship Yard, and other Washington DC stops. I only wish there were a few more runs...I'm forever missing the bus!
Enna | Lake Ridge, VA