Richmond, Virginia (February 8, 2005) – Delegate Jeff Frederick (R-52) announced today that the budget amendment he authored to provide additional commuter parking in eastern Prince William County has made it into the House budget bill, HB 1500.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) already owns several acres of land adjacent to the existing Route 234/Interstate 95 park and ride commuter lot in Dumfries. Frederick’s budget amendment would fund the expansion of that lot on an additional 5 acres of state-owned land at that location.

“Today is a big day for the 52nd District” Frederick said. “We need to do all we can to encourage transportation solutions, particularly the slug program. Sluggers are really doing an incredible job in having found a creative, cost effective and – even better – non-governmental program to deal with the exceedingly difficult traffic problem we have in Northern Virginia. This funding will do a lot to alleviate the current strain on available commuter parking for our citizens.”

Prince William County is already home to the largest commuter lot in the state, and yet according to VDOT and county officials, it fills to over 110% capacity on a daily basis by 7:15 every morning. With the effective ride-share (slug or carpooling) and public transportation programs in place, which operate from commuter parking facilities, residents from Prince William and points south such as Stafford and Fredericksburg often arrive at County commuter lots to take advantage of the commuting options available. This, combined with high residential growth, has led to a major shortage of commuter parking in this region. Slug advocates have contended that the lack of parking is beginning to be a disincentive for people to forgo their cars for their daily commute.

In addition to securing funding for commuter parking in the House budget, Delegate Frederick also sponsored HB 1530, which would provide a tax deduction to underutilized shopping centers and strip malls where parking is made available to commuters. “We have a huge parking surplus along the Route 1 corridor in my district, and a huge need for additional commuter parking. This legislation will create a win/win situation for property owners that want to get value from their excess parking spaces and commuters who need a place to park”, Frederick said. This legislation successfully passed out of the House last week and is now before the Senate for consideration.

Frederick added: “It is an honor to represent the citizens of the 52nd district, and I’m working hard in Richmond for their priorities. My legislative initiatives this year in dealing with transportation are a step in the right direction in fighting for less traffic and creative solutions.”

Currently in his first term, Delegate Frederick serves on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Rt. 1 Location Study Steering Committee. He has a 5-point plan to reduce congestion without raising taxes, which can be found at http://traffic-solutions.org.