JBM-HH partners with Northern Virginia Regional Commission on commuter services agreement

By Francis Chung, Pentagram Staff PhotojournalistMay 18, 2017

JBM-HH partners with Northern Virginia Regional Commission on commuter services agreement
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Col. Patrick M. Duggan (front left) and Northern Virginia Regional Commission Executive Director Robert W. Lazaro, Jr., sign a Memorandum of Understanding for Commuter Services amongst JBM-HH, NVRC and Arlingt... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Col. Patrick M. Duggan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Commuter Services with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission during a ceremony in Fairfax, Va., May 11.

The agreement calls for the establishment of a Commuter Resource Information Station at JBM-HH that will provide installation-specific information regarding commuting options for the base community, with the primary goal of reducing single-occupant vehicle trips during rush hour.

According to Donna Maxey, JBM-HH director of Plans, Analysis and Integration, NVRC and Arlington County will staff a rotating station at the Community Activities Center or other high-visibility areas one day per month beginning in June.

At the station, JBM-HH employees will have the opportunity to sign up for carpools and vanpools, purchase tickets for local and regional bus and rail systems, receive up-to-date information on routes and schedules and learn about other alternatives such as bicycle and pedestrian programs.

In addition to traffic control and congestion management, the station's aims include improving accessibility to the installation's individual directorates, enhancing employee mobility around the base and reducing employee parking demand, according to NVRC.

"Central to the commuter center concept is the belief that delivering comprehensive transportation services and commuting options programs is best performed at the worksite as an integrated service for all employees," an NVRC attachment to the memorandum reads. "As work schedules, employee populations, home addresses, and prevailing traffic patterns change, so do the commuting requirements of a workforce. An on-site presence enables the commuter center to efficiently manage continuously changing transportation needs."

Along with manning the rotating station, NVRC and Arlington County personnel will coordinate commuter fairs at JBM-HH and present commuting information at JBM-HH new employee orientations, all-hands on deck meetings, town halls and table-top events.

They will also collect and disseminate data regarding the number of individuals taking advantage of commuting alternatives and the corresponding impact in terms of reducing vehicular mileage, fuel consumption, pollution and demand for parking spaces.

According to NVRC, comparable stations are also being planned for Fort Belvoir and Marine Corps Base Quantico in order to serve those installations' specific transportation needs.

Pentagram staff photojournalist Francis Chung can be reached at fchung@dcmilitary.com.