I note, however, that Fredericksburg, which is a "mere" 50 miles from DC has VRE service. I live in the DC metro area, and I don't currently have a car, and I'

I note, however, that Fredericksburg, which is a "mere" 50 miles from DC has VRE service. I live in the DC metro area, and I don't currently have a car, and I'm keenly aware of how it limits my options. I use the bus and metro to get to work in downtown DC from Gaithersburg, MD, and it's just at the edge of bearable for a limited time. I spend about 3 hours a day on public transit, and from Fredericksburg, VA, it would be even worse, unless I lived across the street from the VRE station. With a car, you get ready to go, and then you go. Without a car, you get ready to go, and then you either go wait by the bus stop, or you try to time yourself to get to the bus stop just a few minutes before it arrives. This mostly works, but it's certainly more trouble (and I say this as someone who has a bus stop directly in front of my apartment building; it isn't as if I even have to walk a few blocks to the bus, and it's still a pain). Going to the store is a project involving planning and giving up the evening to it, rather than something you can do just before your evening activities. Going anywhere else is something I nearly always have to put off until the weekend, since I leave for work before 7:30 AM and get home about 7:30 PM. If I used a car, I could do those things on the way home (though since I live so far out, I still wouldn't get home much earlier).