Cushing Road Commuter Lot Not Seeing Much Traffic

Many residents are still hesitant to commit to the new 433-space Cushing Road Park and Ride lot at the intersection of I-66 and Prince William Parkway. The Virginia Department of Transportation intended to provide some relief to commuters who use I-66 when they opened the lot July 8; however, only 20-50 cars are visible during week days. "We agree that usage is very low but you need to consider that this is the height of summer and peak vacation time, so there is less incentive to rideshare," VDOT Communications Manager Joan Morris said. While residents said they may use the commuter lot in the future, their chief complaint is the difficulty in finding information and bus schedules. (Here are links to morning and evening bus schedules.)

"I've been looking into using it as I will be starting a new job soon, but can't find a schedule online for it," Mishelle Payne of Bristow said. "I don't get how you can open a new lot and not have information available telling people when the bus stops there. No wonder there are hardly any cars parked there right now."

Others feel the system needs some tweaking. "It worked well coming home; I wish it was faster to pull in and out of," Kimberly Ridgeway Bricker of Haymarket said. Overall, residents are in favor of the commuter lot and wish Prince William County agencies would do more to encourage carpooling and slugging. "Seems like the new Park-and-Ride is a great place to meet up with carpoolers and sluggers, Kunta Fossett of Bristow said. "I think overall, PWC can do a better job in encouraging [it]." Fossett is very enthusiastic about the lot and he suggests that VDOT promote it with a community day. "To get more people to use the Park-and-Ride, I think a community day should be hosted there; we can get local businesses to pitch in," he said. VDOT will continue to monitor activity at the lot throughout the rest of the summer and feels that more accurate numbers will come in the fall. "By early October, we might have a better sense of how the lot is doing," Morris said. "PRTC will add more bus service this fall and that will help also."