Why Stop There?

Last year I lived in Falls Church and commuted about 25-30 minutes to Rosslyn every day. I would often have to pay about $8/day for parking and we all know how expensive gas was/is. I "owned" a car that I was shelling out $300/month payments on, another $900+ per year for insurance, unknown hundreds on things like oil changes and tire problems, and of course several hundred dollars in property tax. In August, I moved to Ballston. Initially, I took the Metro and thought, "This is great. Now, I'm only spending $3.15 each day on my commute." But then I thought, "Why stop there?" I pulled out my old touring bike and I have been biking to work every day since September (all you have to do is bundle up in the winter). Not only that, but I sold my car in October! No more payments, and it turns out that biking into work is even faster than taking the Metro (thanks, Arlington bike lanes!).

Danny Cooper, Arlington, VA

Comments

[matthew]

What do you do when you need to go to the doctors, get to places that are not by the metro, go to the grocery store or in an emergency?

[Toyota Body Parts]

You started taking a bike for a 30 minute commute?

How long does it take to get there?!

I admire your dedication.

[Scott]

The 25-30 minute commute was 1) from Falls Church, which is a bit farther away from Rosslyn than Ballston where Danny moved to, 2) largely due to traffic congestion; even from Falls Church the distance is really not that far. This is a local blog sponsored by the county of Arlington, Virginia (just across the river from Washington, DC). Not sure if that's obvious to everyone who stumbles across this site from a google search or whatever.

Ballston to Rosslyn is a very doable trip on a bike. It has bike lanes all the way and takes perhaps 30 minutes at most.

There are people who bike commute more than 30 miles round trip. THEIR dedication amazes me. They are rare, obviously.

Matthew, in an emergency, you call 911 and get a ride in an ambulance. As for the other stuff... most of Arlington is easy to reach by walking and public transportation. It depends on where you live. There are certainly places where it's easier to go car-free than others.