DC area Traffic

[selhars]

^^ Yep. Although I'm fairly lucky with midday construction too…I rarely get caught in that either! Thanks you, traffic gods.

[skeddy]

It's a quality of life issue to me, I left NoVa over the traffic, moved to the beach.

I remember when there was no Beltway, no Dulles, no Reston, no WW bridge, not much of anything. Route 7 was a two lane road with a traffic light in Tysons Corner, the next light was in Leesburg.

If you wanted to go to Maryland, you had to drive through DC.

[kcmo]

Well, one things seems for sure. The highway patrol in VA seems to be much more aggressive in ticketing people.

[selhars]

In general I'm a pretty savvy driver. And to be honest I've slowed down speed wise in my 50s Only because, though, a ticket isn't worth it. AND if you don't know the area, why chance it. I'm not in VA that often. And when I am, I'm obviously more on the lookout, than any territory I might know like the back of my hand. That's not "rocket surgery") -- That's just being smart. (I know it's rocket science or brain surgery, but I said that foe effect.)

But LOTS of people are just NOT observant. If you see brake lights ahead -- uh, dummy, that MIGHT be a hint. Duh.
And small towns and independent jurisdictions make their money with traffic tickets. Who doesn't know that.
And cameras are easy to spot. Sure SOME are hidden behind trees. But again, many times people a head on the road will know it's there and their brake lights are a hint.

Also know what to look for on unmarked cars. The high performance tires. Embedded lights, perhaps an extra mirror or (hard to spot) antenna. And of course the extra video and computer consoles at the dashboard.

Whether looking for cops or not -- there's no doubt people need to pay attention when they drive. I'm always on the look out and paying attention to the flow of traffic around me. AND most of all KNOW YOUR TERRITORY! And if you're in an area you don't know research it before you go, or just be on guard.

Example: It shouldn't be a secret that the town of Emporia the last town along 95 before NC is a KNOWN speed trap area. It's a running joke, And they target out of staters. Not that they won't ticket a VA car. But they're really after people traveling through who are more likely to just pay the ticket.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by selhars

In general I'm a pretty savvy driver. And to be honest I've slowed down speed wise in my 50s Only because, though, a ticket isn't worth it. AND if you don't know the area, why chance it. I'm not in VA that often. And when I am, I'm obviously more on the lookout, than any territory I might know like the back of my hand. That's not "rocket surgery") -- That's just being smart. (I know it's rocket science or brain surgery, but I said that foe effect.)

But LOTS of people are just NOT observant. If you see brake lights ahead -- uh, dummy, that MIGHT be a hint. Duh.
And small towns and independent jurisdictions make their money with traffic tickets. Who doesn't know that.
And cameras are easy to spot. Sure SOME are hidden behind trees. But again, many times people a head on the road will know it's there and their brake lights are a hint.

Also know what to look for on unmarked cars. The high performance tires. Embedded lights, perhaps an extra mirror or (hard to spot) antenna. And of course the extra video and computer consoles at the dashboard.

Whether looking for cops or not -- there's no doubt people need to pay attention when they drive. I'm always on the look out and paying attention to the flow of traffic around me. AND most of all KNOW YOUR TERRITORY! And if you're in an area you don't know research it before you go, or just be on guard.

Example: It shouldn't be a secret that the town of Emporia the last town along 95 before NC is a KNOWN speed trap area. It's a running joke, And they target out of staters. Not that they won't ticket a VA car. But they're really after people traveling through who are more likely to just pay the ticket.

Basically. Most people are pretty oblivious when they are driving. It's very easy to avoid getting a ticket if you just pay attention and keep a look out, even if you drive rather fast like I do . VA is one place I am very careful though because I see so many people pulled over there and I have read that they hand out extremely harsh penalties like reckless driving for what would be considered minor traffic violations in almost every other state. Being aware of your surroundings and using the app Waze and you shouldn't have many problems anywhere.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by Moth

I think it horrid, but quite frankly no different from any other comparable metropolitan area.

Or have Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Milan, London, Miami, Tokyo, Dallas, Denver, Boston, Paris, and the rest of the choked & clogged gang somehow made their horrific traffic magically disappear?

Haven't there been studies about how the DC area has the worst traffic in the country?

Traffic here isn't just stop and go. It's truly soul-sucking.

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Well, one things seems for sure. The highway patrol in VA seems to be much more aggressive in ticketing people.

VA Troopers do have a reputation, however, their presence is on par with most states. We Marylanders are a bit spoiled from the undermanned state police we have now -- major highways and interstates aren't patrolled like most states are which is why it's the norm to see traffic go 20mph over the limit in some areas.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by tgs_bg

VA Troopers do have a reputation, however, their presence is on par with most states. We Marylanders are a bit spoiled from the undermanned state police we have now -- major highways and interstates aren't patrolled like most states are which is why it's the norm to see traffic go 20mph over the limit in some areas.

Well, it's actually one way to keep traffic moving. If they kept everybody going 55 on the beltway, it would pretty much always be backed up because the highway just can't handle the volume of cars then. Even most cops drive well over the speed limit.

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Well, it's actually one way to keep traffic moving. If they kept everybody going 55 on the beltway, it would pretty much always be backed up because the highway just can't handle the volume of cars then. Even most cops drive well over the speed limit.

That's more of an issue with too low of a speed limit, which Maryland is notorious of. As mentioned before, VA Troopers aggressively enforce traffic laws but traffic moves in VA because the speed limits are typically higher than they are here in Maryland.

[PowerofNow5]

The hardest thing about living back in the DMV. Traffic. I forgot how "soul sucking" it is, as a previous poster used to describe it. Aha. I'm so determined to maintain the carefree positivity I had in SoFlo. Everytime I hear someone honking their horn incessantly or getting pissed off, I just shake my head. Living in SoFlo made me realize, "is it really that serious?" Some drivers get so heated. Breathe in, breathe out. There's more to life than sweating small situations as these traffic issues. There's also more to life than just sitting in traffic for an hour+ *cringe*

Can I get paid in sunshine again? lmao.