By The Numbers: How Will People Get In And Around Tysons?

When the four metro stations in Tysons Corner open in 2013, there will be no parking lots to go along with them.

Last spring, the county surveyed nearly 2,000 people living in a 3-mile radius of Tysons Corner online, asking them about how their habits would (or wouldn't) change when they began to use the planned stations.

Vienna had the highest number of survey participants, with 786, followed by McLean with 453 and Falls Church with 243, county staff showed Tuesday at

Other participants were concentrated in Fairfax and the greater Washington Area, but also in Haymarket, Woodbrige and as far as Purcelville and Montgomery County, Md. One respondent weighed in from Overland Park, Kansas.

“Tysons has reaches much farther than just the area surrounding it,” said Kris Morley-Nikfar, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation representative in charge of the study.

Here are the main findings, as taken from the final report.

Survey respondents live within 3 miles of Tysons Corner.
415 homeowner associations are represented.

Most people who answered the survey now use Metrorail.
Of 1,870 online respondents, 62.2 percent use Metrorail and 37.8 percent don’t.

At present, Metrorail stations used most frequently are:

• West Falls Church (544 of 1870 respondents)
• Vienna/Fairfax-GMU (259)
• Dunn Loring-Merrifield (235)
• East Falls Church (118)

The majority of people now travel to a Metrorail station by car.
Car (Park): 73.9% of 1,542 respondents
Car (Kiss and Ride): 20.5%
Bus: 12.1%
Walk: 11.3%
Bike: 4.1%
Other: 4.9%

About half of those who work outside the home receive transportation-related benefits from their employers.
About 34 percent of 1,656 respondents have free parking, 15.2 percent receive a transit subsidy, and 9.6 percent have both.

Among those who are employed in Tysons Corner and live within a 3-mile radius, 3.8 percent now bicycle to work, of 1,246 respondents.

Most people in the Tysons area live or work near a bicycle facility
or bicycle route which leads to central Tysons Corner (56.8% of 1,228
respondents).

When Tysons Corner Metrorail service is available:

The farthest east and farthest west stations will be used by the most people.
Tysons West: 26.7 percent of 1,838 respondents
Tysons East: 22.5 percent
Tysons Central 7: 16.8 percent
Tysons Central 123: 16.1 percent
None: 17.9 percent

Other findings:

• One in three people plan to use the buses which operate within central Tysons Corner, of 1,613 respondents.
• One in two people plan to use a neighborhood bus, of 1,609 respondents.
• One in five people plan to use a regional bus, of 1,438 respondents.
• Frequent bus arrivals, service reliability, and proximity to a bus stop are very important to those considering taking a bus to a Metrorail station, of 1,407 respondents.
• The main reasons people will use Tysons-area sidewalks, crosswalks and trails are to get to a bus or Metrorail station, to shop, and for recreation, according to 1,235 respondents.
• Improved or wider bike lanes, better road and path lighting, and bicycle parking at stations are considered top priority bicycle improvements, according to 919 respondents.
• Of those who plan to come to Tysons Corner from elsewhere in the Metrorail system, most will walk from the Tysons station to reach their final destination.
• 64.7 percent of 1,258 respondents will walk, 13.2 percent will take a bus, 10.6 percent will be picked up by car, and 7 percent will bicycle.

After studying the survey maps and answering all the questions, respondents reported:

• A majority plan to use Tysons Corner Metrorail, 86.3 percent of 1,386 respondents

If going to a new Tysons Corner Metrorail station, they will:

Walk: 44.8% of 1,271 respondents
Bicycle: 36.8%
Bus: 33.2%
Kiss and Ride: 32.5%
Other (Drive, cab, etc.): 17.1%
Metrorail: 12.1%
Private shuttle: 4.6%

A majority found the survey somewhat or very helpful.

• 30.5% of 1349 respondents found it very helpful
• 56.7% somewhat helpful
• 12.8% not helpful.

The study was also managed by an advisory group, composed of two representatives from each of the three districts — Hunter Mill, Providence and Dranesville — encompassing Tysons, along with Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman and members from FCDOT, TYTRAN and the supervisors and county planning offices. Patch will publish their recommendations in the next few days.