66 East, Traffic between 7 and ballston -- WHY? (Washington: legal, safe)

[dopke]

So I've noticed this for a while, but I'm getting pissed off about this now.

Can anyone explain why 66 Eastbound inside the beltway, specifically from exit 67 to 71 always slows down during the afternoons (from 330-600). I think even more specifically, I'm talking about right before 71, maybe exits 69 through 71.

I can sort of understand the logjam that can happen right at exit 67 due to people coming onto 66 East from both 7 and the Dulles Toll Road. But, after that cluster of traffic, I would think it would ease up and speed up. But no, it's slow all the way until exit 71, when all of a sudden it clears up.

WHY?!?!?! There's no accident, there's no change in speed limit, there's not a huge amount of people merging to get off at exit 71.

Truly annoyed.

[newvadad]

it all boils down to an inability to drive. Most people have no idea how to merge and have a problem with others using a turn signal to change lanes. Way too many "type A" personalities around here.

[tysonsengineer]

There is the merger that people sneak from 267, where they stay in a lane they are not supposed to for as long as possible(not the merge lane but the exit only lane at Washington) and there is also the issue of the Ballston Curve. THis is one of the biggest design flaws of 66, it is a vertical and horizontal curve which if you could watch from a traffic camera, you would see even in clear path situations people slow down and brake almost every time. This little nudge of the break ripples through 66 all the way back to the 267 merger, and amplifies to go from a 5 second maneuver to a 5 minute traffic delay.

Its classic road queue behavior, and theres no way to solve it except to create 1) a separate Washington exit with barriers to keep people from merging from the exit lane. 2) Regrade this section of 66 to be 4 feet lower to keep people seeing well ahead of them, and their foot off the break.

[Newbee_0711]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

There is the merger that people sneak from 267, where they stay in a lane they are not supposed to for as long as possible(not the merge lane but the exit only lane at Washington) and there is also the issue of the Ballston Curve. THis is one of the biggest design flaws of 66, it is a vertical and horizontal curve which if you could watch from a traffic camera, you would see even in clear path situations people slow down and brake almost every time. This little nudge of the break ripples through 66 all the way back to the 267 merger, and amplifies to go from a 5 second maneuver to a 5 minute traffic delay.

Its classic road queue behavior, and theres no way to solve it except to create 1) a separate Washington exit with barriers to keep people from merging from the exit lane. 2) Regrade this section of 66 to be 4 feet lower to keep people seeing well ahead of them, and their foot off the break.

I also never understood why there is traffic on this section of the road, but now it's pretty much clear

[yamota]

This wasn't a problem like 2-3 years ago, just recently it started. Used to be once you got inside the beltway on HOV 66, it was clear as a bell...till you hit DC

[finecognac]

Originally Posted by Newbee_0711

I also never understood why there is traffic on this section of the road, but now it's pretty much clear

Me too. Thanks TysonsEngineer.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by yamota

This wasn't a problem like 2-3 years ago, just recently it started. Used to be once you got inside the beltway on HOV 66, it was clear as a bell...till you hit DC

When it comes to roads the point between perfect flow conditions and gridlock is only a 10% shift in demand. Traffic on roads is really an issue of exponential impact... one of the reasons I rail against them so bad because it sets us up for failure when we continue a cycle of add another road, watch road usage go up 10% because of poor land use policy, and then another person comes along and says "WE SHOULD WIDEN THIS ROAD AGAIN!"

[sonnymarkjiz]

tysonsengineer=the man. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[dopke]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

There is the merger that people sneak from 267, where they stay in a lane they are not supposed to for as long as possible(not the merge lane but the exit only lane at Washington) and there is also the issue of the Ballston Curve. THis is one of the biggest design flaws of 66, it is a vertical and horizontal curve which if you could watch from a traffic camera, you would see even in clear path situations people slow down and brake almost every time. This little nudge of the break ripples through 66 all the way back to the 267 merger, and amplifies to go from a 5 second maneuver to a 5 minute traffic delay.

Its classic road queue behavior, and theres no way to solve it except to create 1) a separate Washington exit with barriers to keep people from merging from the exit lane. 2) Regrade this section of 66 to be 4 feet lower to keep people seeing well ahead of them, and their foot off the break.

Thanks... I notice the "random" breaking, or at least what seems random breaking to me, so I guess it's due to what you say in #2.

#1 though... still I don't see that many people causing hold-ups due to the merging, but it could very well be so. Thanks for this though. With that said, it's still going to be slow through that area every day!!! Pass the word on, drive safe but don't slow down 10 mph just because. Or get in the right lane!

[Carlingtonian]

Good info from TysonsEng--and I agree 100% with Dopke that left-lane laggards need to be ticketed and fined, or perhaps even nudged over into the right lane where they belong when flashing headlights and honking fail.

I'm all for enforced, realistic speed limits--both minimum and maximum. Current speed limits are seldom observed and infrequently enforced--so I think VDOT should (after giving the public fair warning via an extensive ad campaign), determine what the practicable and reasonable range of speeds would be (perhaps 55-65?), and then put in speed cameras everywhere. If you're more than, say, 3 mph outside the range, you get a ticket. Perhaps the fine could be in proportion to the degree to which you're outside the legal speed range.

People hitting the brakes just to slow down (instead of just lifting off the gas pedal) is a big problem, and I don't know what could solve it other than making everyone learn to drive on a manual transmission.