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Your Thoughts on Washington Area TrafficQuestion: Is congestion getting worse? Tell us about your commute and how you combat gridlock. The fact that Washington, D.C., remains the second worst trafic congested area in the country is an indictment on those who 30 years ago failed to take action by not building the second Beltway another 7 miles outside the existing Capital Beltway. Thirty years ago they said we'd never need a second Beltway. Today these same morons refuse to build connector roads such as the inter county connector in Montgomery County. Shame on Doug Duncan and other elected officials in not learning from the mistakes of the past. And since they have learned nothing from the past, our future traffic situation will only worsen.Keith Pew
Bethesda, MD My commute takes me from Laurel, Md., to Arlington, Va. To avoid rush hour, I leave at 6:30 am. It takes about 30 minutes. Not too bad. But my return trip in the evening is atrocious. Forget the Beltway. That's a veritable parking lot from River Road to New Hampshire Avenue. How can a four-lane highway shut down to a crawl, especially if there's no accident? I often cut through D.C. which usually proves futile. Then there's the traffic on I-95N to finish up my trip. At least I don't go 95S at Springfield. Or 270N in Maryland. Traffic in this area easing up? My answer is a resounding NO!Chris C.
Laurel, MD Congestion is getting worse. I have seen no improvements on I-95 north in Virginia or on 495 between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the American Legion Bridge. Two definite points: 1. "Marylanders" are a good 30% to 40% of the 495 Congestion in Virginia -- build your own in-state roads. 2. Forget the theory of "if you build more roads more people will come" because I have news for you, THEY ARE ALREADY HERE!!!!L Smith
Woodbridge, VA Public transportation has to improve, and so does the road system. Let's not even talk about the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. She's gonna blow! There's nothing more ridiculous than the fact that there is not connection between I-295 & I-395. Complete juxtaposition if you ask me.Mike McManus
Laurel, MD What's causing the traffic is the aggressive drivers and too many 18-wheel truckers during rush hour.Tim Jez
College Park I have been commuting to D.C. for 7 years and this year seems to be the worst. I commute from Annapolis to Georgetown. The traffic on Route 50 backs up at Bowie and it is extremely congested when approaching New York Avenue. The traffic all the way to Washington Harbour is stop and go, not to mention the ditches created by digging for fiber optics. I used to be able to get to work in one hour. These days, it takes me 1.5 hours. I try to listen to the radio on the way into work, but unfortunately, it doesn't help matters. Many days I am so angry by the time I get to work, my day is already ruined.Joanne Moore
Annapolis I think that traffic has remained the same over the past few years. There is still the ratio of 1 commuter per car, which is not unusual for cities but a definite setback. I combat gridlock by learning and taking alternate routes. I suggest this method to everyone...those side streets can come in very handy.Kendra Bundy
Hyattsville, Maryland It's terrible and has only become worse in the 8 years I've been living here. It is at the point where it makes a major contribution to a negative quality of life in the D.C. area. We are seriously considering leaving the area within the year, because the area is too congested and too expensive with nothing really better than anywhere else. When I first started working in Rockville in 1992, I could drive down 270 at 5:00 - 5:30 p.m and be in Virginia within 10-12 minutes. No longer possible. Try sitting in traffic in the poorly designed roads. Maryland designs all it's roads on the cheap. They do the minumum for the moment and then it's jammed up too soon because they made a left exit after a right entrance (the whole 270/495 thing) They need more crossings of the Potomac River not bigger ones. They need more parallel roads and crossings of 395, 95, 270, etc. and just nuke Rockville Pike and try starting over. We are just paying more than $10K to get out of a $125K (5 years ago) townhouse in Prince William that is too far to commute from and is a really ugly neighborhood too. It's time that people in the area rise up against the developers like Til Hazel and his ilk who just keep building and getting richer by rooking the regular working people. These real estate people had better not let too many people knwo where they live or work or else they may see the French revolution recreated outside. People need to say no to home builders who build too far out. They need to say no to employers who locate in places dislocated from the Metro, etc. In a tight labor market having location as an added strike will cause some employers to relocate or rebuild in more commuter friendly settings.Kevin
Massachusetts
It's amazing to me that there are still people who think asphalt is the answer. Do they think no one else is going to drive in the new lanes? People will stay in their cars until they have an incentive to change, so let's provide it: we need more rail lines, not a wider I-66 or an intercounty connector. Make life hard for the people who drive and easy for the ones who use mass transit.Martha
Arlington I've been driving into D.C. from Bowie for over 15 years and I think that congestion has worsened, albeit gradually. The biggest difference I see, are the vehicles in rush-hour traffic. Fifteen years ago, the favorite commuter vehicle was small, affordable, and gas-efficient, like a Honda Civic. Today, the most popular commuter cars are SUV's, and it seems like the bigger the better...they take up twice the room on the highways. There's nothing more irritating than to see a Lincoln Navigator with just a driver and no passengers commuting to work. I think SUV's would be great for HOV commuters, but I rarely see passengers, at least on my commute path.Carol Constantine
Bowie, MD Yes, it is. My commute takes me from Germantown to Baltimore or Owings Mill but I have not taken the Beltway and 95 for over three years. I take the back roads which are slower but also shorter. As a concerned consumer, I cringe at the sight of the expansion going on around D.C. to "solve" the gridlock. It is foolish to impliment the "Mixing Bowl" fix or to widden the Wilson bridge. More planning should go to divert non-local traffic around the area, add mass transit options (trains-LRV and commuter) and relieve the capacity.Gerard Frederique
Germantown I live in Arlington and Work in close-in Fairfax. My commute is 10 minutes on a bad day. I work with people who choose to live way out in outer Fairfax or in Loudoun County, and their commutes are usually around an hour to get to the same location. Mostly, we've all paid about the same amount for our homes -- it's just that mine is smaller and not as modern. But, hey, I'll take an older home with trees any day over sitting in traffic six times as long for a modern, treeless home and lot. If I had a job out in Loudoun County, I'd probably move there. There is too much life to live to spend it sitting in traffic with angry, harried, impolite motorists.Mary
Arlington Congestion is getting worse. For those of us who live off of I-95 south, (Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania), I-95 can become your worst nightmare. Traffic seems to stall at the slightest distraction. Everyone is so interested in seeing what's happening on the side of the road that they brake to get a better view, which turns into a long line of brake lights. Can't the state troopers turn off their lights once they have stopped someone. It really may help.Jim
Spotsylvania It's an absolute nightmare and has gotten worse in the past four years. If I could afford to move from Silver Spring to Chevy Chase, where I work, I would. The road problem is exacerbated by selfish drivers who think their time is more valuable than others' and run red lights, cut off pedestrians at walk signals, and just drive aggressively while breaking every conceivable law with impunity.A.
Silver Spring I commute from Potomac to Chantilly, Va. Traffic has gotten consistently worse due to the Dulles coridor. Merging from the inbound toll road in the PM to the Beltway is like taking your life in your hands. There is no solution in sight other than adding bridges across the river. The only other answer is to have companies relocate from this area.Gregg Johnson
Potomac, Md Second worst traffic behind L.A.? No good! Let's go for first!DJ
Washington, D.C. I am originally from Philadelphia, Pa., and I am also a well-traveled individual. I have driven in rush hour traffic in Philadelphia, NYC, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, San Diego, Kansas City, San Francisco, Boston, not to mention Mexico, Canada, and France...and NO WHERE have I found such terrible driving and traffic as I have in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. In Philadelphia I used to do a 60 mile commute in 45 minutes. That is completely normal there. But here I have a 25 mile commute and I can not reach my office in less than 1 hour and 20 minutes. I leave early, leave late. I have tried everything and it always takes 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours. It is completely ridiculous!!! Similarly I used to drive 65 miles from Melville Long Island to West Orange, N.J., and it never took more than 50 minutes. There is definitely something wrong with the traffic here. I think a lot of the problem is that the roads are not made for heavy traffic. They are not well-maintained, they are TOO narrow, and the traffic lights are a joke. I wait 7 minutes for a 10 second arrow at Connecticut and East/West Highway every morning!!! The next problem is that public transportation is a joke. There is the Metro for inner D.C. dwellers. But what about people who live outside?? For me to take the MARC train from Howard county, I have to drive 20 minutes to the train then I have to pay like $150 a month and then get off at Union Station and take Metro (for additional $$). So basically, I could spend $180 a month on public transportation or I could use my free parking space at work and spend $80 on gas...you do the math...if there were more regional rails at cheaper prices then many of the idiots who obviously can't drive in traffic would get off the roads in the mornings!! Thanks for listening :-) Pi$$ed off driver.Bhaktii
Columbia, MD I travel from Arlington to Woodbridge/Dale City in the evenings. On a good day (before the time change) it would take me on the average of 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes. Now that the construction has started, and with the time change, it takes me anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. This has to be ridiculous! My commute is less than 30 miles. The only thing that keeps me sane in the evening is listening to the radio (Don and Mike show) which keeps me laughing or at least smiling on the ride home.Karen
Alexandria For those of you who have moved to the Washington area from some other region, here's a piece of advise: Move to another place, or go back to where you came from! GET OUT! LEAVE! You're the ones who've made the local population here boom, causing congestion. The "powers that be" refuse to widen the roadways to make your commutes more comfortable because they think (or hope) that eventually you'll all get so frustrated with your daily commutes that you'll just pack up one day and move to some other part of the country. Why not today? Welcome to Washington, D.C. Land of all talk and no walk. Let's just continue to watch the bad study results come out and argue and bicker and complain about the problem and do absolutely nothing to solve it. My ears grow deaf with talk and no action. This is the legacy of Washington, D.C. It will always be this way because people think they can get ahead around here by talking and complaining rather than DOING! Enough studies, talk, and complaint. WE HAVE A PROBLEM HERE FOLKS. LET'S GET IT SOLVED!!! TRY SOME PROACTIVITY FOR A CHANGE!Chad Graybill
Silver Spring MD Lately congestion is a morning mare, makeing you not want to go to the office. I commute from Andrews AFB to downtown D.C. near the Capitol. Before I could jump into my vehicle, jump on Suitland Parkway and arrive at the office within 15/20 minutes. Now, I can't get to Naylor Road and Suitland Parkway before there's a gridlock. What in the world is going on? All I can see (as far as I can see) are brake lights and frustration on drivers faces. That's my cue to turn off and take an alternate route, which will then make my commute longer. I have a car (which is very sick and old) which means we can't sit in traffic especially when there's no accident. We have to keep moving, keep the gas flowing. I would leave my home around 6:40 a.m. and be at my desk by 7:00. I parked, paid the meter and was ready to start my day. Now I don't no when I'll get to work. Oh yeah, when I get to where I can park, some jerk has taken up two meter spaces. What's with these people? Thanks for letting me vent.Antonette
Suitland I gave up fighting the traffic a long time ago. Now I ride the Metro and read the paper. It is a nice way to start a busy day.Ian Morrison
Wheaton Yes it's getting worse. We need better mass transit systems subsidized to encourage use. And the local jurisdictions will continue to cave into the lobbyists for the asphalt and auto indutries. Prime example, Annapolis to Washington. Recently they added a third lane which cost millions of tax payer dollars. Why didn't they put in a rail system down the middle of Route 50?Phil Kerr
Kent Island I avoid stress and most of the area's traffic congestion by riding Metro. Sounds simple, and it is. And, as I ride along the Orange Line, I can gaze at I-66 and wonder why this interstate is built so narrow so close to a major metropolitan area...Doug
Arlington I live 10 miles from my job and it takes me an hour to get to work in Tyson's corner on 495.Jackie Hancock
Burke, Virginia I have two questions for Francie, whose opinion is posted here. (1) How many people were killed in shooting sprees triggered by slow or crowded Metro rail trains in the last 5 years? (2) How many were killed while driving in the Washington area? Be logical. Live long and prosper. Get out of the car! I live and work in D.C., with a 7-9 mile commute. My general advice for beating congestion and alleviating commuting tedium (advice I follow my self) is: (1) NEVER drive to work, (2) alternate between other modes of transport including Metrobus, Metrorail, bicycle, running, and, for that occaisional treat, motorcycling. All drivers share the blame for congestion and associated traffic deaths, pollution, stress, and general erosion in the quality of life. Get out of the car! Finally, for people who would like to take public transportation if only it were more available: you have it backwards. If you come, they will build it. Get out of the car!Joe
Washington The traffic in this area is the WORST I have ever had to deal with. It is NOT simply the number of vehicles on the road which is the problem, but the really bad drivers (too SLOW, too aggressive/angry/rude) that really hurts during the high volume traffic periods. They only make a bad situation worse.reckirla
manassas The only way I would work in D.C. again is if Metro expands to Bowie and is cheaper. $6 to park and $5 round trip from New Carollton to downtown D.C. is ridiculous! I'm much happier working in Baltimore now. Plus, what is the point of taking the Metro from New Carollton when the biggest bottleneck on east bound Route 50 in Md. is 1/2 mile east of the Beltway and beyond the New Carollton stop? Even if you take Metro there you still will sit in traffic going nowhere for at least a little while!Todd Knode
Bowie, MD To the person with the comments about where you live vs. where you work, if you can live near where you work, then great for you, but when you are on a VERY limited budget it's not always feasible to live near your work. With rent reaching astronomical proportions around here (around $1,000 for an 800 sq. foot apt) it is almost impossible to live inside the beltway. I hate my commute - but I don't pay an arm and a leg to live in a terrible neighborhood either. It's a crappy situation all around and it's not being helped by all this development and no public transportation system.S.B.
Woodbridge, VA I am among the few fortunate people who commutes against the traffic flow. I had my own struggle with the area's growing traffic for years, but I finally solved the solution by finding a job close to my home.Farah
Fairfax I no longer commute but can tell you two areas where traffic has definitely gotten worse. At various times during the year, I spend a week in Frederick, Md., and I live in Falls Church, Va., and also attend classes at GMU/LRI. Two years ago, I was able to leave Frederick at 8:00 a.m., and arrive at GMU by 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. The last time I did this, a month ago, I left at the same time and arrived at GMU at 10:15. Also, I used Shirley Highway, then 395, and onto Braddock Road to go to GMU in the mornings, leaving home at about 8:50 a.m. I can no longer use this route because the Beltway is backed up from before the American Legion Bridge on the inner Beltway. I have changed my route and after only a month am finding this is backing up. So, please don't tell me things are getting better. I really sympathize with the people who need to commute day in and day out. No wonder there is such a thing as "road rage". And, no relief is in sight. It will take years to offer any alternative for the poor commuter.Lisa Astudillo
Falls Church, VA Driving my car 10 miles in 30 minutes is excessive. Therefore, when weather is favorable, I commute on my bicycle using part of the W & OD bicycle trail to cover a distance of 9.5 miles from Prosperity Avenue to Kirkwood Road. Difference in commuting experience? No congestion, no need for coffee, no stress and a decent workout.Paul B.
Vienna, VA I travel by van pool. We leave right at 6 a.m. and I get to work before 7 a.m. We travel HOV-66. We leave Constitution around 4:10 p.m. and get to Manassas before 5 p.m.. Everone shold van pool.Bill
Manassas, VA One good thing about living in the city is that you don't have to get in the traffic to go to work. I ride the Metrorail to work, so I don't experience traffic. My husband drops me off or I can walk to Fort Totten or Brookland Subway Stations. Even when I was getting a ride to work, living in the city allows you to take routes that commuters don't know about. So all the congestion is avoided. My father was a D.C. cab driver, and he taught me to always know several routes to get to your destination. From my house to downtown, the routes are unlimited. So, what is traffic congestion? It's a commuter term that we city dwellers don't experience.Brenda Travis
Washington, DC When will Americans get the point that car based transit in urban areas is stupid? Our urban design consists of spread out areas which devote more land to the car, in the form of highways and parking lots, than land that people actually live, work, or shop in. This system not only increases travel distances but makes other forms of transit, like walking or taking a bus, inconvenient or impossible. Furthermore, as growth increases it doesn't take many more cars than the design capacity of the roadways to overwhelm them. This method of urban planning is idiotic, yet it is repeated in city after city across our nation. Ordinary citizens should put an end to this and demand human-scale environments that make driving a car an option rather than a requirement.Peter Menegay
Blacksburg, VA We are now paying for cutting back on the trasportation plan of the 1960's. Remember there were supposed to be two more Beltways and a North Central Freeway? If you think its bad now, imagine if the Wilson Bridge collapses, we need to do something now.JRB
Rockville, MD I would have posted this message this morning, but I just got into my office... P.S. - Driving the new interchange is a lesson in Grand Prix racing. Look out...ninety degree hair-pin in turn two!!!Mike
Woodbridge (working in Arlington) I am a newcomer to the daily commute from a small Northern California town. What I don't understand is the lack of parking at Metro stops. Yes, stops have parking, but its a gamble after 7 a.m. and after 7:15, forget it. Make them above ground below ground, whatever - but without more parking, people drive. Plus - you have to pay to park at the Metro. "Commuters, get out of your cars for the benefit of all" is the call, "but, oh by the way, you must pay for this privilege." And, speaking to the Van Dorn Station - the Van Dorn Street nightly jam-up, double on Fridays - leads me to think there wasn't a lot of foresight on the part of the old urban/suburban planning department. "Let's see. How about we build gigantic apartment complex upon gigantic apartment complex, fill them up with people, and see what happens." Was this the extent of the planning?Ken
Alexandria Although I live in New Hampshire, I have children living in the D.C. area. When my wife and I drive down to visit them, we do what we can to avoid Beltway traffic in the morning or evening, even choosing to stay in a motel outside Baltimore. We have never seen such bad traffic, both on the Beltway and on more local roads, even in our trips to New York and (gasp!) Boston.David Sices
Hanover, NH Although it certainly is helpful for thousands who don't have cars, Metro and buses don't seem reduce the number of vehicles of Washington's roadways. I often ride a bus to save money or take the Metro and I am repeatedly amazed by the endless traffic lines. There seems to be nothing I can do to avoid the crazy traffic. There is no way to beat the miles and miles of traffic that I saw recently on a Friday evening rush hour. If the Wilson Bridge was expanded and the ICC apporved, would that have an appreciable impact on gridlock? I doubt it. I plan to move to another city which is less congested and hopefully have less stress to deal with.Ross Adams
Silver Spring This is not how I currently combat gridlock, but how I would like to combat gridlock. First, I would march up to the Capitol, kick the butts of all the senators and representatives who have blocked funding for the reworking of the highway system in the Washington, D,C., area!!!Ed Spar
Kensington, MD I commute from Silver Spring, Md., to Sterling, Va., each day. The round trip is anywhere between 90 and 180 minutes for 60 miles. The worst part of the trip is often between the final toll plaza on the Dulles Toll Road eastbound and the entrance to northbound 495, a stretch of approximately 1 mile that often takes me 30-45 minutes to get through in the evenings. Three fourths of all the traffic clogs I see are caused by discourteous, aggressive drivers. No turn signals, trying to cut in at the front of a merge, running lights, not looking when changing lanes, double and triple parking... People have forgotten how to drive. A decent police presence that actually *acts* on these bad drivers would do wonders for clearing congestion without having to upgrade our roads. Unfortunately, there are SO MANY bad drivers in the area... Defensive and courteous driving is a big part of the solution. Re-educate the public if necessary.Brian Harris
Silver Spring I combat gridlock by not living 15 miles from my job! Public transportation is the way to go. There's not an incentive in the world that would get me to live in the burbs and work in D.C.Deb
Washington DC Waking up in the morning to an unexpected rainfall or some other traffic malady has moved ahead of work as my single larget stress inducer. I do believe that the single largest problem (Did I mention that we have so few Potomac River crossings that you can count them with your shoes and socks on?) is rudeness and down right arrogance on the part of far too many motorists! All those folks who have far more important things to do today than you or I and are justified in riding our bumpers, speeding and cutting us off. (Did I mention "eighteen-wheelers" on the beltway practicing for the Daytona 500?) In spite of a woefully inadequate road infrastructure, proper driving habits and common courtesy would serve to improve things dramatically.T. Brentzel
Rockville, MD Getting Worse every Day! I commute from Towson to Bethesda four days a week, and have gotten to the point where I leave at 4:30 to avoid a 53 mile, 2 hour commute! How about more reliable public transportation!Dave Collins
Towson
As if commuting to work isn't bad enough, non-rush hour traffic also seems to be on the rise. It is very frustrating when a 15 minute drive on a Saturday afternoon ends up taking 30 minutes. A few weeks ago I was coming back to Washington after a relaxing weekend away, only to find 495 at an almost standstill at 7:30 on a non-holiday Sunday night. Welcome back! And there's nothing you can do except pop in a Jimmy Buffet CD.C.J.
Alexandria VA The best way to combat gridlock is to live close to where you work. I don't understand people around here who say they live 30 miles away from work "for their children." How does not seeing their parents except on weekends benefit children? Most (but not all, I realize) of these people could afford to live within 5 miles of their jobs, but they choose not to because they couldn't afford walk-in closets, jacuzzi tubs, and 4,000 square-feet houses, along with their SUVs. I made that mistake (commuted from Manassas), learned from it, and moved out of the exburbs within two years, and my husband and I now would never leave Arlington, except to move into the District, even though we know we can never afford to buy a single family home here. We had a beautiful home in Manassas, but never got to enjoy it, because we were away from it for nearly 14 hours a day.Ann Newman
Arlington I wouldn't know and don't care. Why people spend 2 hours of their day, fully 1/8 of their waking hours, sitting in a car is incomprehensible. Move someplace near mass transit or closer to your job. Personally, I walk a whole 10 minutes to work and don't even own a car.Stefan Nicholas
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