Slugging gets nimble!

Traffic backups are not new to slugs, but slugs and drivers worked together to handle this a bit different this time. On August 15th, 2019 around 4:00 PM an accident on the I-395 south bound HOV lanes near Glebe Rd started slowing down HOV traffic. One of the Stafford Sluglines Facebook Group members, Tessa who was riding, posted a picture of the accident at 4:01 PM. Looking at the severity of the accident some decided to stay at work, some took regular lanes and hopped on the HOT lanes at Duke Street, while others exited from I-395 regular lanes to Seminary Rd. and took the HOV lanes.

It is not uncommon to check Waze or listen to traffic news on the radio and change their departure time or take alternate routes. But, when the information came from a fellow slug there was discussion and real time updates from other commuters who passed the accident. While the drivers were focused on driving, riders provided updates to other slugs who helped with navigation and communication.

Slugging brings the flexibility, that helps commuters pick their time and mode of transportation depending on the challenges they face at home, work or on the road. There were some Stafford slugs who took the VRE just that evening to get home without getting stuck in the traffic. Some joined to take Uber to the parking lot and others called their family to get a ride to their car.

Timely sharing of the incident and coordination with drivers and riders on the road helps slugs avoid traffic and get home faster. Yes, the no talking rule is out the window in such instances.

Photo credit: Tessa

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How did Pope alleviate traffic congestion in DC Metro?

4% less vehicles yielded 36% reduction in congestion in DC Metro
 

If you didn’t hear, the Pope Francis visited the United States recently, and of course a stop at the seat of American power, Washington DC was on his itinerary. His tour included a host of cities across the country, and in each and every one city officials were tasked with safely addressing the predicted massive increase in traffic volume. In the DC area particularly, there was increased scrutiny regarding congestion, traffic patterns, and travel times for commuters during peak hours. The entire summary can be found at http://www.mwcog.org/transportation/weeklyreport/2015/files/10-20/PapalVisit_FullMemo.pdf, if you like reading graphs and charts. The study was done with commercially available data gleaned from the GPS capabilities of smart phones and driver navigation units and spanned the week of the papal visit along with the week preceding.

The Results

What the study found is that ‘modest reductions in driving during peak periods can yield dramatic improvements in travel conditions’. That’s not an exaggeration. In some cases, traffic volume reductions of only 4% yielded congestion reductions of as much as 36%. That’s a congestion reduction factor of 9x!

That’s all well and good, but to put that in terms of driving time, inbound traffic on the I-395 between the Beltway and the Potomac took a mere 12 minutes for commuters as opposed to the normal rush hour travel time of 44 minutes. Not very many of us are in a rush to get to work, but shaving a half hour off the time spent sitting in traffic sounds pretty enticing. It wasn’t just peak hour traffic on I-395 that saw an improvement in congestion; Maryland’s I-270 saw a drop from 38 minutes to a whopping 11 minutes for commuters from the ICC to the Beltway.

Remember, all of these improvements in congestion came from only a 4% drop in volume. What if that volume decrease could be achieved every day? What if the time savings of over thirty minutes could become the norm?

The Causes

The answer lies in minor changes to driving and work habits. In response to the anticipated traffic that the papal visit was predicted to produce, many employers instituted temporary telework policies and flexible hours for commuters. Together these practices created the effective decrease in traffic volume, and the related reductions in congestion. Carpooling, or slugging, can also regularly decrease volume during peak hours. Collaborating with coworkers can not only reduce fuel costs, but can also reduce commuter volume during peak hours. The next time you’re sitting in traffic with your empty car, remember that it only takes some small changes to make a big difference.

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