Moving from NJ to NOVA (Reston, Centreville: rent, how much, houses)

[Mr Jersey]

Originally Posted by mikebnllnb

You do know you're moving to the city with the worst rush hour traffic in the country right?

Is that true when using public transportation such as the a commuter bus, VRE or metro?

[mikebnllnb]

Originally Posted by Mr Jersey

Is that true when using public transportation such as the a commuter bus, VRE or metro?

Yup. I've been on the subways in New York and Boston and they are much better run and vastly more efficient than the Metro here in DC.

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by Mr Jersey

I am looking for a commute of let's say 45 minutes or less.......an hour tops.

Not going to get that kind of commute from Ashburn. Only way you will get 45 minutes from Reston is to have a hybrid vehicle or a rider to drive I-66 and leave before 7:15. Door to door in Reston via metro in under an hour would mean that you live VERY close to the station and your office is very close to the station in DC. On the train it is 40 minutes from Reston station to McPherson Square station in DC.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by mikebnllnb

Yup. I've been on the subways in New York and Boston and they are much better run and vastly more efficient than the Metro here in DC.

Boston's subway is a joke. So is Philadelphia's. Calling them subways is generous.

As much as we complain about Metro, it is one of the only subways in the world that can even compare to NYC or Chicago.

Regardless, the OP is going to be using the HOV lanes on 95. No other city in America has more efficient HOV lanes for buses than we do here on 95/395. Pretty much guaranteed 25 minute trip on the HOV lanes from Woodbridge to the 14th street bridge.

Ashburn is not a short drive over to Reston either FYI. It is a miserable slow, traffic clogged drive over to Reston where you will then have to be on a train for 40 minutes.

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by Mr Jersey

Is that true when using public transportation such as the a commuter bus, VRE or metro?

There's a lot of variables and each form of commuting has its pros and cons. But, as in other metropolitan areas, there comes a point where even the most efficient forms of transit are going to be undone by the shear distance you're required to travel. I would say, generally, that once you're outside the Beltway, you're looking at door to door commute times of around an hour into DC. Once you get outside of Fairfax County, you're commute times will start to approach 90 minutes each way and can go a good deal higher. I commute to DC myself. I live about as close to efficient forms of transit as you can get - a 10 minute drive to the Franconia-Springfield Metro and a 2 minute ride to a Park and Ride lot where I can take an express bus to the Pentagon and transfer to the Metro. Even on the best of days, my door to door commute times don't go below 50 minutes and are typically right around the 1 hour mark. Actually, if I had to commute to K Street, it would most definitely be over an hour - maybe a 70 minute commute.

It's a trade off you're going to have to make. Longer commute for your desired housing or shorter commute and compromise on housing.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by mikebnllnb

Yup. I've been on the subways in New York and Boston and they are much better run and vastly more efficient than the Metro here in DC.

Boston's subway is not better than DC lol please stop. I lived in Boston for a long time...... you have to be joking.

DC has the second highest ridership in the country behind NYC.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by airjay75

There's a lot of variables and each form of commuting has its pros and cons. But, as in other metropolitan areas, there comes a point where even the most efficient forms of transit are going to be undone by the shear distance you're required to travel. I would say, generally, that once you're outside the Beltway, you're looking at door to door commute times of around an hour into DC. Once you get outside of Fairfax County, you're commute times will start to approach 90 minutes each way and can go a good deal higher. I commute to DC myself. I live about as close to efficient forms of transit as you can get - a 10 minute drive to the Franconia-Springfield Metro and a 2 minute ride to a Park and Ride lot where I can take an express bus to the Pentagon and transfer to the Metro. Even on the best of days, my door to door commute times don't go below 50 minutes and are typically right around the 1 hour mark. Actually, if I had to commute to K Street, it would most definitely be over an hour - maybe a 70 minute commute.

It's a trade off you're going to have to make. Longer commute for your desired housing or shorter commute and compromise on housing.

Generally, I agree with you but there are more efficient ways of commuting than what you are doing. Since you are in Springfield, there are no express buses that go into DC so you have to transfer. If you lived in Prince William County and took a bus, however, it would be way more efficient because you would have a one seat commute the entire way and it would undoubtedly be quicker.

[TheWatchmen]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

Not going to get that kind of commute from Ashburn. Only way you will get 45 minutes from Reston is to have a hybrid vehicle or a rider to drive I-66 and leave before 7:15. Door to door in Reston via metro in under an hour would mean that you live VERY close to the station and your office is very close to the station in DC. On the train it is 40 minutes from Reston station to McPherson Square station in DC.

This. You are going to have to stay inside the Beltway, or close enough to it, to get a 45 minute door to door commute during rush hour.

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by gomason

Generally, I agree with you but there are more efficient ways of commuting than what you are doing. Since you are in Springfield, there are no express buses that go into DC so you have to transfer. If you lived in Prince William County and took a bus, however, it would be way more efficient because you would have a one seat commute the entire way and it would undoubtedly be quicker.

Agreed, although I don't know I would go so far as to say a bus directly into DC is way more efficient than transferring to Metro - it could be more efficient, but it sort of depends on where in DC you're going to (i.e., how many stops would the bus have to make vs. how many stops on the Metro, whether you have to use the Blue or Yellow Line, where your office is in relation to the Metro/bus stops). You do lose time transferring, no doubt about that, but Metro trains don't have to deal with street traffic (assuming they're not operating on a delay themselves which we all know is not really a safe bet). Of course, one's commute efficiency also depends upon how close you live to your bus stop and/or whether the bus has to make additional stops before getting on the HOT/HOV lanes.

But, bottom line for OP, getting a door to door commute time of an hour or less is going to be a tall order from PW or Loudoun Counties. Maybe if he lived close to the last bus stop in PW County and the bus went directly into DC and stopped near where he worked, but that's going to be tough to accomplish. Not sure it's even theoretically possible from Loudoun County using transit.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by airjay75

But, bottom line for OP, getting a door to door commute time of an hour or less is going to be a tall order from PW or Loudoun Counties. Maybe if he lived close to the last bus stop in PW County and the bus went directly into DC and stopped near where he worked, but that's going to be tough to accomplish. Not sure it's even theoretically possible from Loudoun County using transit.

theoretically, yes. If you lived right next to the bus pick-ups and they dropped you off next to work (and you take one of the earlier buses), they it COULD be done. Not likely, though.