Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Schools

Arlington Makes It Easier for Teachers to Stop Driving to School

Driving to school can be a major source of traffic congestion. But while Safe Routes to School programs aim to make walking and biking to school a safer, easier option for students, getting teachers and school staff to leave their cars at home is still new terrain.

Leading the way is Arlington, Virginia, which has a transportation demand management program specifically to make it easier for teachers to give up the solo car commute habit. In the U.S., it’s the first program of its kind for an entire school district, according to Paul Mackie at Mobility Lab.

A few simple incentives can make a difference, Mackie writes:

Teachers who rideshare, or “carpool,” get to wave at the other commuters stuck in traffic as they breeze past in the HOV lanes.

And that’s not all. Once teachers get to school — in the case of this video, at Oakridge Elementary School and Arlington Community High School — they have priority carpool parking right in front.

Some call it “carpool therapy.” At Oakridge, teachers have added a “commuter lounge,” where teachers and staff who bike or walk to work can have a place to change and store their gear for the day.

If driving is not their thing, all employees of the public schools get a free membership to Capital Bikeshare. Yes, free. And pretty stress-free too.

Take a look at how it works in this MobilityLab video:

More recommended reading today: Urban Review STL points out that in St. Louis, the policy makers in charge of streets and transportation ignore the recommendations coming from the National Association of City Transportation Officials. And the Transportist previews new research illustrating the “mutually reinforcing relationships” between bicycling infrastructure and bicycling rates.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Trump DOT Sec. Sean Duffy Is Dead Wrong About New York City’s Bike Lanes

Sean Duffy says he hasn't seen enough data to believe in the benefits of bike lanes. So we put together this cheat sheet to help him out — mostly using information from his own department.

April 25, 2025

Friday Video: Check Out Lorde On a Bike!

The Kiwi singer is on the top of the charts — and in our bike-riding hearts.

April 25, 2025

RELAX: A New City Rule for Private Seating in Public Space Is More of the Same

A proposed new rule governing how much space restaurants can occupy on open streets is hardly controversial, John Surico writes.

April 25, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Double DOT Incompetence Edition

What this city needs is a place to walk on the Queensboro Bridge ... and for the federal DOT to get out of our way. Plus other news.

April 25, 2025
See all posts