Why do so many people who live in walking distance to a metro still drive to work?

[Anonymous]

I've seen so many people who live within 0.5-1 mile to a metro station still drive to work and I can't figure out why. Is it because of the heat? The crowds on the metro? The constant delays? We are planning to buy a house and try to gauge whether we would really actually use the metro, in case we decide to spend the extra hundreds of thousands of $ for the proximity to a metro station.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Nobody I know in walkable neighborhoods walk anywhere. It's hot, it cold, it humid, it dangerous for the kids on the street, they have too much stuff to carry, etc.

They only walk to bars so they can walk home.

[Anonymous]

Everything you said, plus

Flexibility.
Weather.
Kids to drop off and pick up.
Time.

[Anonymous]

I wonder the same thing, OP. Especially in my neighborhood, where you can get the same house for 25% less, if you just go a mile (or less) further from metro.

I walk or metro to work, every day. I'm a little sad that my child has to be driven to school (though of course we carpool), but that's because getting here there via public transport would mean two buses and a half-mile walk on each end-- about an hour, as opposed to 15 minutes in the car. So I assume that my neighbors who drive are in the same boat-- just no viable PT routes to where they need to go. Maybe they bought so close to metro hoping that one day they would have a job in a more convenient location. I dunno...

[Anonymous]

My DH's current job isn't near a metro station so he drives. His last one was so he did metro then.

We do end up driving more than we thought we would for a variety of reasons. But we still do walk a bunch too - mostly in the evenings/weekends though.

[Anonymous]

Work provided parking is cheaper than metro? I drove when I had a free spot and had to pick up kids from school 30 mins from home. Much more efficient. We could also do an errand on the way home if needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen so many people who live within 0.5-1 mile to a metro station still drive to work and I can't figure out why. Is it because of the heat? The crowds on the metro? The constant delays? We are planning to buy a house and try to gauge whether we would really actually use the metro, in case we decide to spend the extra hundreds of thousands of $ for the proximity to a metro station.

Thanks!

It's good to have multiple options and it's more comfortable to drive and sometimes cheaper.

[Anonymous]

We live ~0.5 mile from a metro. I regularly walk to it and metro to work. For me, it's cheaper than paying for a parking pass and convenient, and generally faster. I hate dealing with traffic. My DH drives, but his current job isn't metro accessible anyway. His former job was near a metro, but was located on the other side of town and would involve changing lines. Plus he had free parking, so it was cheaper and generally faster to drive. But even if it had been convenient, he's just not a metro fan. Crowded, hot, too many delays.

So it just depends- I prefer to walk and use public transport than drive, but that's just me!

[Anonymous]

The freedom to be trapped in traffic vs. being confined to a Metro train that may or may not break down, but will certainly be full of ill-mannered boors, should never be underestimated.

[Anonymous]

In the past, I considered trying to buy near a metro, so that I wouldn't have to drive at all for my daily commute (my work is one block from a metro stop).

But then I realized that I get home late each day, so from fall until early spring, I'd have to walk home from the metro in the dark, alone. And frankly, I don't know of any location within a mile of a metro stop where I'd feel comfortable doing that.

[Anonymous]

I need to pick up the kids and their daycare is not near a metro stop.

My husband could walk to work, but my schedule is not fixed enough that there are not the times when I call him and tell him I am stuck in a meeting and he needs to pick the kids up.

We are hopeful that once the kids are at one location (split daycare and school now) and at lease out of 5 point harnass that we have moer flexibility to metro / walk to work.

[Anonymous]

I live a mile from two different Metro stations. But I work in Reston. Driving is the only sensible option right now. But I will absolutely use the Metro once the Wiehle Ave stop opens! I hate, hate, hate the drive.

[Anonymous]

We live near a metro station. My son's daycare is near a different metro station without parking. There is no private pay parking, and you need a sticker to leave the car on the street. It would be overly cumbersome not to drive.

[Anonymous]

we live 3/4 mile from the takoma metro. i drive to work and DH metros. i do pickup from daycare, and daycare's not near the metro, and the red line is totally unreliable, especially in the summer when it's hot. i couldn't be guaranteed to get home from the metro in time to get my car and get to daycare every day before getting charged for being late. prior to daycare, i walked and then took metro.

[Anonymous]

We live about 3/4 of a mile from the metro. My DH always takes metro. I drive to work even though I basically prefer public transportation.
Why?- I have to take the kids to daycare in the morning- not on the metro line. If I was to drive back to my house and walk to the metro my commute would be 1hr and 15 minutes. To drive on in from daycare is about 40 minutes.