If you sit in rush hour daily help me. (school, live)

[caitlindwarf]

The whole time I've lived in DC I've never had to sit in rush hour on a daily basis. I've gotten caught in it many times but when I have to venture out of the city it's mostly during morning hours when everyone else is trying to get into the city.

I unfortunately had to sign up for a class in Alexandria, VA that starts at 7:30 PM. My route to school usually takes me off New York Ave through the 395 southbound tunnel, over the Potomac on 395 and my exit is 5 (King St). In the past I've gotten stuck in the tunnel alone for an hour or more around 4:30 PM.

Without traffic this trip takes about 20-30 minutes. So when do you all see rush hour ending? Am I safe after 6:30 PM or so? I don't ever drive out of the city that late so I'm not sure when to leave. Am I destined to have to leave at 4 PM everyday? Or just destined to waste gas in my car for an hour.

[CocoTheNut]

Yeah, traffic seems to start at 3:30/4:00.

I think you might be better off waiting until 6:45 or 7:00 to leave. Or you could try taking 14th street to 395 instead of the tunnel. And the day of the week and the weather have a bearing on how long it takes. I have noticed that on Mondays and Fridays, traffic is light because of the Feds on alternate work schedules. Wednesday is the heaviest, with Tuesdays and Thursdays heavy but not as bad as Wednesdays. If it is raining, double the commuting time. If it is snowing, triple or quadruple the commuting time.

Also, I can't swear by this, but I have found that leaving at odd times can make a difference. It seems that people leave their offices on the hour or half past.

I would explain to your professor about the traffic issues.

[yrb]

Try 14th, Columbia Pike, George Mason. Or something else. Experiment.
Don't follow the crowd