When four new stops along Metro's Silver Line open soon in northern Virginia, a familiar sight will be missing: a sea of commuter parking. While smart growth advocates applaud the omission, some commuters and nearby residents are concerned.
"Now that the Silver Line is about to open, many potential riders have one simple question: Where do we park?"
"The answer: You probably don’t," writes Lori Aratani. "Parking garages — and the large surface parking lots that have long dominated the Tysons landscape and suburban Metro stations elsewhere — don’t fit with the new vision of an area seeking to swap its congested, car-centric image for that of an urban, pedestrian-friendly enclave."
As Tysons transforms into a "transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly destination", the de-emphasis on auto accessibility points more to the region's transportation future than its present patterns.
“It’s going to take a while for people’s traveling and commuting patterns to change — for people to get used to getting into Tysons in ways other than taking their cars,” said Sharon Bulova (D), Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. “It’s going to be a fine balance for some time.”
Read the full story: Metro’s Silver Line is coming to Tysons, but don’t look for lots of new commuter parking
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