Alexandria Ranked Among Best Places To Live Without A Car

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Long commutes, high has prices, traffic congestion and increased air pollution can be some reasons residents choose public transit, biking or walking over driving for their commutes. This option is easier in Alexandria, which a new study ranked as one of the best cities to live without a car.

Coworking Cafe analyzed 331 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 for the study. Alexandria ranked 14th, two spots above neighboring Arlington County. Washington, DC was fourth among U.S. cities.

Metrics factoring into the ranking were the percentage of the adult population using public transportation, taxis or motorcycles, walking or biking to commute, the density of bike lanes, and average price for an adult fare. Coworking space availability accounted for 5 percent of the metrics.

Alexandria's 16 percent of the adult population using public transportation is 17th among the ranked U.S. cities, according to Coworking Cafe. The percentage of people who walk to work is an estimated. 3.4 percent, the lowest among the top 20 cities. An estimated 1 percent of adults commute by bike.

Alexandria has made recent moves to improve travel options for those not driving, including the opening of the new Potomac Yard Metro station, moving a Duke Street Bus Rapid Transit forward with design and making DASH Bus fare free, which increased ridership.

Nationwide, Boston was ranked as the best city to live without a car. An estimated 28 percent of the adult population commutes by public transportation, 14.4 percent who walk to work and 2 percent who commute by bike.

New York City ranked third overall but had the highest percentage of the adult population commuting by public transit — 49.7 percent.

The full study from Coworking Cafe on best places to live without a car is available online.