metro parking (how much, home, neighborhood)

[jman23]

I'm most likely going to end up in dc with a job and was wondering about commuting. If you don't live close to a metro station is there parking available at the station and if so how much does it cost? Also would it be safe to leave a car at these stations all day?
p.s. i'll most likely end up in northern virginia, alexandria area

[claremarie]

There is parking at or near most suburban metro stations. The cost is about $3.50, but the real issue is not the cost or safety, but the fact that demand greatly exceeds the supply, so you have to be an early bird if you want to nab a space. Some stations have much more parking than others, so it pays to research the parking facilities before deciding on a place to live if you are planning to commute by Metro. If the lot is full, you can try parking on neighborhood streets, but most have restricted parking zones that foil that strategy.
Another factor to consider is the time that it will take you to get from your home to the Metro station, which can add considerably to your total commuting time.

[jman23]

Now i'm going to be workin for the gov't (obviously) but they offer a transportation subsidy and while i haven't read into a great deal i was wondering if they would include the metro ride to dc and the fair for parking at metro stations?

If anybody knows this please enlighten me

[5stones]

I believe it's only for the metro/VRE not parking.(but not 100% sure) I know at the Pentagon they hand out the metro cards...you don't extra money.

[saganista]

SmartBenefits. Covers no parking at all ($3.75 per day in a Metro lot, free at a VRE lot), but up to $110 a month of the cost of commuting on Metrorail, Metrobus, MARC, VRE, any commuter bus, or in a registered van pool. Some programs still hand out farecards for Metrorail and Metrobus benefits, but more are switching to automated monthly download to your SmartTrip card from any farecard machine.

Don't know about the Alexandria area, but I've been parking maybe an average of three days a week in the Metro lots at either Vienna or Dunn Loring for years. Aside from getting a spot, the worst problem has been having to remove the 'Work at home! Make $100K Guaranteed!' flyers from under the wiper blade every now and then.