South Riding/Chantilly to College Park - commute

[choff5]

DH does the Chantilly to Lanhan, Md commute a couple of time a week and several in his office do it from South Riding. Leave by 6:30 at latest if at all possible. Even with that I know it takes awhile just to get to the Greenbriar area on rt. 50 from South riding. People do do it, just hope you don't need to every day.

[gomason]

There really aren't many great commuting options for this route. If you drove, you would at least be going against the direction of most of the traffic on the beltway.

[SmartMoney]

The first thought I had after reading the title was "shoot me now if I had that commute." I hope you: would have the opportunity to have flex hours, are young, and don't have small children. I would also consider looking for a room rental, for a couple/few nights a week.

Long commutes (> 2 hours in traffic) are the exception in our area for a reason. I would think long and hard, it's not easy, even if young. My oldest (25 yr) was commuting from Leesburg to Crystal City for a 40% pay bump and exhaustion about did him in and he's very athletic and in great health. In 6 months, he packed things up and moved into the District.......(after renting a room for the occasional stay). You are going to give up 2 extra hours of your life each day. Is moving even an option in the near future (~ 1 year)? BTW, he loves living in DC and the fact he doesn't have to love horses as a criteria for a successful dating experience.

[Shelborne_22033]

Originally Posted by gomason

There really aren't many great commuting options for this route. If you drove, you would at least be going against the direction of most of the traffic on the beltway.

I would not say the 495 inner loop in Mont Co is against traffic. That is one painful stretch of parking lot.

Leaving your area prior to 0630 if you must drive the whole way is your best option (IMHO). I would check the Metro options. I would be concerned about any Metro lots if you were using them late evening hours but I don't believe they are much risk during normal commuting periods. It's a long way on the Metro but you would be able to read, text, work, pay bills or just veg out listening to music.

Good luck.

[sullyguy]

One other caveat - since it's about 50 miles ONE way, you will be spending about $50+/day on the commute costs if you drive NOT including tolls:

Route

Government Mileage Rate

Hope that job is worth it!

[bayva]

Thanks all for the input.

[michgc]

Can you take off work two mornings and try the Metro route one day and then drive one day? That would give you a good idea of your potential commute. When I went to UMD way back when before there was a Metro stop there, I used to take University Blvd South right to the campus. It was less time on the beltway than going all the way to Route 1. Of course you still have the rest of the beltway to contend with, and it's not pretty. I think it would have to be a really good job or off hours to deal with that commute. Personally, I would take the Metro. Less traffic to deal with and you can sit and read or get work done while you are commuting. Good luck with your decision.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by bayva

Thanks for the suggestion about the Metro. I have heard that the College Park Metro station (and area in general) is not so safe with relatively high crime. Any thoughts on that?

It was perfectly fine during daylight hours when I was a student (05-07). I wouldn't walk around waving my wallet or inebriated late at night, but if you're working typical business hours it's not an issue. There is a free shuttle for students/employees of the university that runs back and forth quite frequently.

[bayva]

Thank you for the feedback on Metro and the suggestions. I will drive and take the metro and figure out how long each takes.