FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- Fort Belvoir hosted a commuter fair at the post's Community Center Nov. 4. The fair was conducted as part of Belvoir's ongoing effort to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles on post by 10 percent.
Transportation service providers from shuttle van companies, bus companies and the Virginia Railway Express; and transportation experts from Fairfax County and on post, were all available to answer questions and provide information to workers and families who travel to and from post.
One option being explored is telecommuting.
Carol Hunter, who works with child care providers as part of her job with the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation, has been telecommuting once a month for four years. She got the idea from her husband and recommended it to her supervisor. She says it makes her more effective in her job.
"It's outstanding," Hunter said, "I find myself more productive."
According to Hunter, she uses the time to get herself organized, schedule appointments with child care providers and finish up reports.
DFMWR director Bill Parsons, knows changes need to take place to mitigate the traffic impacts, both on and off post. However, as the director of an on-post organization, he says he must also consider other aspects.
Also, he said DFMWR is strongly based on customer service. Parsons said telecommuting could lead to challenges in serving its customers directly. If more telecommuting were implemented, his directorate to have to plan for minimal impact on service to its customers.
"What does it do for the customer' If it's not good (for the customers), we probably shouldn't do it," Parsons said.
Another concern for Parsons is the perception of unequal treatment if one position is better suited to allow for telecommuting than another.
"There's not one aspect that is the silver-bullet solution," he concluded.
Megan Bailey, an accounting manager for the bus line company, the Martz Group, said her employer thinks bus commuting is not only needed but that it looks to be a pretty good investment for them.
"We think there is a market for commuter buses from the Stafford and Fredericksburg areas to Fort Belvoir," she said.
Bailey added the Martz Group already runs commuter buses to the Pentagon and they have been receiving numerous calls from Soldiers transferring into the Stafford/Fredericksburg area looking for alternatives to driving to and from work at Belvoir.
Stephen Brooks, deputy to the installation commander, said he knows changes must be made to alleviate traffic, both on and off post, and to maximize the use of the limited parking on Belvoir. He added reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles traveling to and from post also helps the environment, which is good for everyone.
"This is a green thing to do," Brooks said, "and we will consider all of the things we can do."
Social Sharing