How many of yall go through Dulles Airport to avoid tolls (Richmond: rental car, real estate)

[marie5v]

Originally Posted by pcity

Shunpiking is not illegal. What is illegal is using the airport road for something other than airport business.

Please define "shunpiking." I have only recently figured out "slugging." It all sounds sort of....dirty.

[Phyxius]

Shunpking - a side road taken instead of a turnpike or expressway to avoid tolls or to travel at a leisurely pace.

There is nothing wrong with doing that but that does not apply to the Access Road which clearly states the road is for airport traffic only.

[slowlane3]

People who transact any sort of business at Dulles are allowed to use the free Dulles access road. So, some commuters actually drive onto the airport grounds, quickly buy a coffee to takeaway there, and save the sales receipt to prove to highway police, if stopped, that they conducted business that day at the airport. This practice was described in a Washington Post article.

[kevbros]

Here's a response from another forum where this issue has been addressed:


Re: Dulles Toll Road cheat
Posted by: Dulles Flyer ()
Date: October 30, 2012 04:58PM

They've been catching people doing "the loop" there to avoid the toll since the road was built. Always a new crop of folks who think that they can beat the system I guess. You may be able to get away with it for a while but they're wise to it and eventually they'll get you.

[NC211]

I do it every single chance I get, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it, nor do I give any reason for anyone to pull me over. Yes, I have my receipt, amongst other reasons for airport business.

So long as the state of Virginia allows a private consortium from Australia to charge me around $5 to use 1/3 of the greenway, then they can go find their other tolls within the income tax of that $5. If they don't play fair, then I won't either. How stupid is VA for allowing a private company to literally blackmail one of the nations top counties? Make no mistake about it, there should be no legal support to charge $5 for 3 miles, and $5 for all 15 miles. I look forward to the monopoly lawsuit on this. I'd almost be willing to bet that if you dug deep enough, there is probably evidence to support such a case already, with blocked attempts at road development in Loudoun that would offer other alternatives than 7 and 28. Especially for Brambleton and how Old Ox road connects up to feeder roads into Brambleton.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by NC211

Make no mistake about it, there should be no legal support to charge $5 for 3 miles, and $5 for all 15 miles.

What about $5 for 1/5 mile, if you get off (or on) at 606 (Old Ox)???

[pcity]

Originally Posted by NC211

So long as the state of Virginia allows a private consortium from Australia to charge me around $5 to use 1/3 of the greenway, then they can go find their other tolls within the income tax of that $5. If they don't play fair, then I won't either.

So... you realize the airport authority, not VDOT, operates the Dulles Toll Road, right?

You not paying for the Toll Road doesn't affect VDOT or the VA gov't.

And the airport authority wins either way- you're either paying them directly with the toll or you're buying something from a gas station that operates on their land.

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Originally Posted by NC211

I do it every single chance I get, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it, nor do I give any reason for anyone to pull me over. Yes, I have my receipt, amongst other reasons for airport business.

So long as the state of Virginia allows a private consortium from Australia to charge me around $5 to use 1/3 of the greenway, then they can go find their other tolls within the income tax of that $5. If they don't play fair, then I won't either. How stupid is VA for allowing a private company to literally blackmail one of the nations top counties? Make no mistake about it, there should be no legal support to charge $5 for 3 miles, and $5 for all 15 miles. I look forward to the monopoly lawsuit on this. I'd almost be willing to bet that if you dug deep enough, there is probably evidence to support such a case already, with blocked attempts at road development in Loudoun that would offer other alternatives than 7 and 28. Especially for Brambleton and how Old Ox road connects up to feeder roads into Brambleton.

Hey, I don't think it's "playing fair" that the government takes a higher percentage (not just a higher amount) of my income than from someone else who makes less (why not take the same percentage?), but until the law of the land changes, I am not going to do something that violates either the spirit or the letter of the law to play chicken with the government. But you go ahead and take from the rest of us -- because that is, ultimately, what toll avoidance does to the rest of us who do pay.

[snowdenscold]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

I actually made this trip today......went into the airport, looped around the passenger pick up area and was on VA 28 in less than 5 minutes.

It may save you some money, but there's no way it actually took less than 5 minutes. At least 6-7 I bet. Unless you were ignoring all those 25 mph signs at the actual loop closer to the terminal (which they will pull you over for, by the way, should you keep doing this).

The total trip from where the DTR has an exit for 28 North to where it actually merges onto 28 is 4.5 miles, but your average speed is probably around 35-40 MPH since you go so slow for a mile of it.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by IndiaLimaDelta

Hey, I don't think it's "playing fair" that the government takes a higher percentage (not just a higher amount) of my income than from someone else who makes less (why not take the same percentage?), but until the law of the land changes, I am not going to do something that violates either the spirit or the letter of the law to play chicken with the government. But you go ahead and take from the rest of us -- because that is, ultimately, what toll avoidance does to the rest of us who do pay.

He's legal though- business on airport property is airport business. Neither letter nor spirit has been violated.

Also I don't know if I really consider the airport authority the "government".