Aaaagghhhhh! Traffic!!!! (vent)

[Tina]

Ok, I am so fed up with traffic here in the DC area that I'm ready to quit my job just to get away from it. Today is Friday, which is normally an easy traffic day due to the number of Federal workers who work a Flex schedule, taking Fridays off. But no. Some idiot rear-ended another idiot on I-66 this morning just a half-mile from my exit.

What does this mean for me? This means my 25 minute Friday commute (normally at least an hour Mon-Thurs, so you can understand my fondness for Fridays) was extended to more than 90 minutes! The worst part is the fact that they were in the right "arrow" lane (normally a shoulder, except during rush hour), meaning they were probably traveling at a top speed of about 5 miles per hour at the time of the accident. There was no visible damage on either vehicle, no one appeared to be hurt, and these idiots can't even manage to move the vehicles out of the travel lane!!!!!!

I propose that the law publicly post the names and phone numbers of people who get in such accidents and tie up traffic for hours like this!! That way I can give them a piece of my mind, rather than posting here on the DIS!!

Ok...... calming down now...... vent ending....... blood pressure lowering.........ahhhhh........ I feel better now.

 

[wvrevy]

Ok...You're going to think I'm lying when you read this, but as soon as I saw the title of this thread, I thought "Yeah...this person thinks they've got it bad...They oughtta move to DC and try real traffic for a while"

I SWEAR that's the thought that ran through my mind before I opened this My DW had about a 15 mile commute when we lived in DC...and it sometimes took as long as an hour and a half because one of the miles was over the Woodrow Wilson bridge. I honestly think there were days that I could have swam the river faster than I was able to get over that bridge, and I know DW thought the same

That's one of the reasons I'm back in WV today....Not the main one, but bigger than you'd think If it hadn't been for the metro (which I could take to work), I'd have probably lost my mind

 

[mickeyfan1]

I never had to do the I66 thing when I lived there, but I know how bad the traffic is anyway. I like your proposal, public humiliation might be a deterrent.

 

[wvrevy]

We were going to Kings Dominion one weekend, traveling down I95 towards Richmond, and got into a traffic tie-up. We putted through at about 5 miles an hour for nearly 90 minutes. When we got to the "tie-up" to see what had happened.....there was a pick-up truck on the side of the road with it's hood up. That's it. No accident. No construction. Just one truck with it's hood up, completely off the road.

It was at this point I began to question the intelligence of the human race

 

[Christine]

Just like wverysaid: when I opened this thread I though "HA, this person should commute in DC!!" Then, I saw that you did!!

I know what you mean about Fridays. I LOVE them. And fortunately for me, coming up from Woodbridge this morning, I made it in record time. No one coming from the South did anything stupid this morning. Now Wednesday was a different story--2 hours!!!

This morning, I was behind this huge Suburban/Escalade beast (in far left lane) who couldn't keep his/her speed up. Would go about 50 mph (the rest of the traffic was actually doing 65 mph WOO HOO!!). Then the vehicle would speed up with the flow and drop down again. AARRRGGGHHH!! When I finally accelerated like a madwoman and got around the beast of a vehicle, there was a woman driving and READING. Not the newspaper, but single sheets of paper she was leafing through and holding up. Wow. I finally got in front of her and zoomed along. I looked back and she was about 20 car lengths behind me. No one even got in front of her. The people behind her couldn't see around her and probably thought they were sitting in slow traffic. Gosh, I get infuriated too easily.

 

[jrydberg]

wvrevy, my first thought was, "Gotta be someone from the DC area" My commute is 12 miles and sometimes takes an hour and a half.

66 is just never a good scene. Of course I live close enough to the whole Springfield mess that usually blends into the Wilson bridge mess. Fortunately I don't have to deal with the American Legion bridge mess or the 270 mess

 

[clutter]

Hey Tina, I think we might be neighbors! But my dd's at ballet camp in Reston, so I didn't have to do my usual 1 exit on I-66 today. However.... My new Prius is on a truck heading to the dealership, so pretty soon, I'll be crusin' in the HOV lanes all the way downtown. (well, they're not always cruise speed, but close enough!!)

 

[caitycaity]

another dc-er checking in who thought the same thing as wrevy and christine.

as for your proposal, considering my dh just was in an accident yesterday, i'm against your proposal to name and shame though. as i'm sure you know, most accidents on the major roads at rush hour around here are rarely the fault of just one person driving dumbly. heck, even if you wanted to leave a ton of space between you and the car in front of you, some yahoo will pull right in front of you the second you leave an inch more space. and then the person who rear ends is the one who gets the blame. i probably would have gareed with you yesterday, but today i look at it from a different perspective; just be thankful that the people in the accident are ok. cars can be replaced. i'd assume most employers in this area understand what havoc an accident can cause your commute. people are more valuable, imho.

 

[Tina]

If it hadn't been for the metro (which I could take to work), I'd have probably lost my mind

Ahhh... if only we could be so lucky. You see, I work RIGHT NEXT to a metro stop. My company even has a FREE shuttle bus that runs people back N' forth from the office building to the train station. Unfortuntately, its the Vienna Metro stop - the last one out of the Orange line and I live WAY west of Vienna.

My poor DH works in Arlington. After dredging his way up I-66 for a hour (or more) everyday, he then gets to hop on the overpriced Metro for 3 whopping stops and get off in Arlington. He's gotten so fed up with the mess lately, that he's taken to leaving a little later and then sitting on the shoulder of 66 until 9am when he can drive the rest of the way in. Unfortunately, that also traps him in Arlington until 6:30 every evening when HOV lifts inside the beltway again.

Its just a nightmare. We carpool when we can, but it doesn't always work out for us. DC really needs to do something about these roads. I get so angry when I hear that we (the taxpayers) may have to pay several million $$ for a stadium if we get the Expos, when we so desperately need the roads.

On a funnier note, we used to live in Southern California, where traffic is also horrible (although I honestly think 66 is worse, since we have no other options). But anyhooo.... DH and I were driving home from LA on a Sunday afternoon on the 5. This is a time when traffic is normally pretty light. On this evening, traffic was just a nightmare. Bumper to Bumper for miles and miles. We are thinking that there must be a horrible accident ahead. Well, finally, we caught up to it. There was a clown, Floppy The Clown, according to his sign, sitting on the bumper of his VW Beetle, waving to the drivers as they passed. He seemed to be having a grand time! Once we passed him, traffic picked up and we flew home. DH and I still remember him from time to time. Often while we are sitting in traffic, one of us will say, "Is Floppy in town?"

 

[Mishetta]

I doubt that Los Angeles traffic is any easier. I used to work in Beverly Hills & lived about 35 miles away & got off work at 3pm & I never got home before 6pm. So don't feel alone! Driving in the heat, used to make me so sleepy too, it's a wonder I didn't fall asleep behind the wheel!

 

[welovedisneyx4]

I don't see how people drive in that stuff everyday. I can't handle the traffic I have to drive in and it is nowhere near as bad as other places. I would be in jail b/c I know I would have road rage so bad!

I do have a question though. Are employers understanding when you get to work late b/c of an accident? Or do you just leave home at 6:00 to make sure you're there at 8:00? What do you do w/ your kids before school?

My sympathy (sp?) is w/ you guys. I couldn't do it.

 

[TennVolTony]

Try I-4 at 5:00 P.M.

 

[cheeringmom]

If I have to take 66 or 95, I'll always try for side roads. usually I'll get to my destination quicker than the highways. I hate DC traffic too!!!

Sorry about your commute this am!!

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by welovedisneyx4

I do have a question though. Are employers understanding when you get to work late b/c of an accident? Or do you just leave home at 6:00 to make sure you're there at 8:00? What do you do w/ your kids before school?

My sympathy (sp?) is w/ you guys. I couldn't do it.

My employer is definitely understanding--because it happens to him to. He just says "get here when you get here." Most people do not "sleep in late" because they'd NEVER get to work. I never have to make up my time, even if I am almost 2 hours late! I work early hours, so pickup in the afternoon for my kids is never a big deal.